Silence in the Night
by Tjix
Summary: Jacob imprints. Edward slips up. Maria returns. Bella snaps. Not just your average day for Grace Connor and Niki Shahar. Extreme Bella-bashing abounds, beware Mary Sues.
1. Accidents

(((Dedication: Dedicated to Stephanie Meyer. Eat more Cheetos, lady.

Summary:

Jacob imprints. Edward slips up. Maria returns. Bella snaps. The world is spinning much too fast for our favorite immortals to keep up with, and unfortunately for everyone, it may just be spinning to a stop...

Disclaimer: I own Edward. Yes, that's right, I do. _(drags Edward off and is later sued)_ Okay, okay, fine... so I don't own Edward. I think you know what's mine and what's not. ...and, uh, Jacob's mine. _(tries to drag Jacob off and is sued again)_ Okay, fine!

Info: romantic Twilight series; the timeline is a little skewed, but it generally takes place after "Eclipse"; two OCs are involved; Bella/Edward, Bella/Jacob, OC/Edward, OC/Jacob, Sam/Emily, Jared/Kim, Jasper/Alice, one-sided Jasper/Maria (she obviously likes him)

Warnings: strong language, adult themes, dirty humor, spoilers, and extreme Bella-bashing

Author notes: Three things. Firstly, this was a joint project--as I'm sure my longtime readers can tell, since it's not really my usual style. Second, I don't know exactly how old each of the Cullens are, so they're just old _enough_ to fit (like having been around in the Titanic's time).

One last thing...

0_0 The Mary-Sueness. It burns!!!)))

**Silence in the Night**

**By: EverAfter-Silence and Tjix**

**Chapter One: Accidents**

He ran.

He ran to escape—to escape everything; the memories, the pain, the lingering love. He ran to escape _them._

He ran to escape _her_.

He didn't think he would ever stop running.

Jacob Black, a werewolf of La Push, Washington, ran to escape everything that his life had thrown at him in the past year or so. The anguish in his soul was almost too much to bear. Even the exhilerating rush of wind blasting in his face could not drive the dizzyingly painful thoughts from his mind.

For half a day and an entire night, he had been running steadily, with nearly no change in either scenery or the smell that came with it. So when a new scent crept up on him, he pulled up short. He almost turned to steer clear of the confrontation he was sure would follow if he approached anyone, but a need for human contact ached inside of him. He was lonely. Reluctantly, he turned toward the scent.

Slinking through the trees, Jake slowed as he neared the clearing that was soaked in the smell. Worried about frightening whoever was in that clearing, he allowed his wolf form to melt away. He'd probably give them a heart-attack anyway, showing up naked in the middle of nowhere, but it wouldn't be as hostile a reaction, at least. Creeping closer, he peered through the trees to find the source of that delicious scent...

And he saw... _her_.

There and then, Jacob Black imprinted on a human girl.

She was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid eyes on. The terrible squeezing throb in his chest vanished. It wasn't _healed_; it was simply as though there had never been a wound in the first place.

She stood in the middle of the clearing, brandishing a slightly short, gently curved sword. As she moved slowly and carefully through the patterns of the exercise, her shoulder-length silken black hair flopped into her deep brown eyes. She impatiently brushed it back with a bronze-colored hand.

She was so _small!_ Jake looked on in awe, his eyes traveling inadvertently over her tiny, pixie-like form. She was delicate and graceful, small-boned and lightning fast.

She was beautiful.

Nikita Shahar tucked another strand of ebony hair behind her ear, growling impatiently. She was considering just wrapping up today's exercise right then, but then she thought she saw someone—or some_thing_—in the trees.

Arcing her katana-sword up in a quick sweep to point it toward the motion, she called, "Who's there?"

Jacob peeked shyly around the tree, met her eyes, and could not respond. He felt ecstasy bubbling up from somewhere deep within him—some very instinctual part of him that he had only brushed on before.

Niki frowned at him. Was he what she thought he was? "You know," she called, "I've heard legends of the La Push werewolves, but I didn't _believe_ them."

_Do you _now_? _he wondered. _What gave me away?_ There were a few hints. The howling, the way he appeared from the trees, his obvious Indian heritage, and his lithe body, were some of them.

Suddenly, with no warning at all, Niki started to laugh. Jacob gave a start as her laughter pealed out, pure and clear as bells. The sound caused an odd, pleasurable squirm in the pit of his stomach.

"Do you need some _clothes_?" she demanded, still laughing.

"Uh..." His dark skin grew darker as a blush smoldered in his cheeks.

"Here." Sheathing her sword, she shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it to him. "It won't cover much on _you_, but..."

The tiny jacket _didn't_ cover much, but he was happy for all the modesty it could lend him. "Thanks," he muttered, still blushing.

Her laughter fading into spiraling giggles, Niki asked, "Where you headed, werewolf?"

Jacob looked away, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of her face for long. "Nowhere in particular," he said softly.

"Well, I'll tell you what. Before you head off to nowhere, how about you head off to my house for some _clothes_." She shook her head. "It's hard to go anywhere, even nowhere, with no clothes."

He hesitated, then nodded. He would do anything if it meant a little more time with her. "Yeah. Yeah, that would be great."

* * *

Black eyes flickered in the newly unfolding light. Hunters moved on silent feet through the mountains; not bears or lions—no, these hunters were much more intelligent and much more deadly.

Vampires hunted in these mountains.

One of them, slinking like a panther between the gray boulders, lifted his head—bronze hair glimmering in the faint light—and sniffed the air. An enticing scent rode the eastward wind. A slow grin spread over the hunter's face, and then he was gone, flashing over the rocks in pursuit of the scent. The others had smelled it, too, but they would never keep up with him. He was the fastest.

Soon he had his quarry in site. Ah, but her scent was _so_ tempting! His eyes glowed black as he crouched in wait for her.

Gracie O'Connor, glossy copper curls tucked into the back of her shirt, smoky green eyes focused, searched carefully for a handhold. Her fair, strong hand locked into the stone face and she pulled herself up. She crawled up onto the top of the ridge and clambered to her feet, brushing the dirt from her Levi Strauss hiking jeans.

She wasn't expecting to be tackled. It felt as though a wall of stone came crashing out of nowhere, slamming her to the ground. When her head stopped spinning and her eyes cleared, she gasped. Leaning over her, only a few inches from her face, was the most beautiful—and the most frightening—pair of eyes she had ever seen.

"Edward—wait!" Carlisle called. "Rein yourself in! Don't do anything you'll regret!" He, Jasper, and Emmett had reached the area, but had frozen a few yards away. If any of them tried to move in, Edward would bite her before anything could be done. Jasper shuddered, turning away. He could smell the blood from Gracie's many small cuts and it was drawing him back into his hunting frame of mind.

"Edward, _don't_," Carlisle warned.

Edward snarled at him, then leaned down over Gracie.

_Uh-oh..._

The last thing she felt before the burning started was his soft, cold lips against her throat.

Carlisle reached Edward while he was distracted. Latching both hands onto the back of Edward's shirt, he hauled him off. Edward twisted and snapped at him, but Carlisle very calmly set him on his feet and shoved him into Emmett's waiting bear hug.

"C'mon, Jasper," Emmett told the blonde. He stalked off, Edward still struggling in his hold.

Carlisle looked down at Gracie with pity. Her throat was bleeding profusely, and she writhed on the ground in agony. Even if he could suck the poison out—which he doubted—she would bleed to death if returned to human. The only way to save her was to let the venom run its course.

With a sigh, Carlisle scooped her up and started back toward the mansion.

"So, what's your name?" Niki's voice was muffled since she was up to her eyeballs in her father's clothes at the moment, searching for something that had a prayer of fitting her new friend.

"Jacob," he told her, watching in amusement as she tossed a button-up shirt at him. "You?"

"Niki."

"What's that short for?"

"Nikita. But I really wish you would call me Niki." She tossed him a pair of jeans. "Here. Those are too big for Dane. And..." She tossed him a pair of boxers. "You'll have to make do with those."

"Thanks," he told her. In just a few seconds, he was dressed. "So, who's Dane? Your brother?"

"My dad, but I don't call him that. It seems too much like a respectful, affectionate title, when I have neither respect nor affection for Dane. My brother's name was Nathan. He's dead."

"Oh," Jacob said softly. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, me too." Niki emerged from the closet. "He was the only one of us who was ever halfway sane. He got caught in the middle of a gang fight one day and they shot him."

Jacob winced at the clipped unhappiness in her voice. "I'm sorry about that."

"He's not. He always said he'd rather be dead than live the way we did. 'I'd rather be stuck in Hell itself than in this sorry excuse for a hellhole!' he always told me."

Grimacing, Jacob cast about for a subject change. "So, where is your dad—Dane—now?"

"Oh, probably out partying somewhere. That's what he usually does around this time. It's what he does most of the time, in fact. He's usually drunk when he comes home, so he never notices if I stay out late. That's good. It makes things easier."

Jacob scowled at the thought of Nikita coming home late at night to a drunk father who didn't care about her. "Why do you stay?"

She gave him a blank look. "Where else could I go?"

"Well, actually..." he hesitated a moment, then continued, "I was kind of thinking you could come back to La Push with me. Meet the pack, you know." Now that he was over Bella, he wasn't afraid to face them.

An incredulous grin lit her face. "There are _more_ of you? Werewolves, I mean?"

He shrugged, pleased that she was pleased by the idea. "Yeah. So, how about it?"

"I just met you," she said, but with no real disagreement in her voice.

"You've known your dad for the past—how old are you? fifteen?" She nodded. "—fifteen years, but that doesn't mean he's better than me," Jacob pointed out. "Besides, if you can use _that_—" he pointed to the katana at her hip, "—I can't really be much of a threat, can I?"

Niki frowned, thinking, _Well, yeah, he can—if he really _is_ a werewolf, anyway._ But aloud she said, "No, I guess not."

"So, let's go, then."

"What happened?" Esme asked fretfully, following as Carlisle carried the writhing Gracie into the basement.

"We were hunting, and she was hiking," Carlisle told her grimly, laying Gracie on a couch. "Edward caught her scent and went crazy. We almost didn't pull him off in time."

"Is he alright?" she asked worriedly.

"He's pretty upset. He feels terribly guilty."

Esme sighed and went back upstairs, probably to speak with Edward. Carlisle frowned down at Gracie, who was curled up into a fetal position, whimpering. He sighed and smoothed her coppery hair. "Poor girl," he murmured. "This is going to cost her everything."

Edward ghosted down the stairs to crouch beside him, staring anxiously down at Gracie's face, contorted in pain. "How is she?"

"As well as can be expected." Carlisle was watching the younger vampire's face twisting with guilt. "Don't feel responsible, Edward. None of us could have predicted what would happen."

"But I was the only one who attacked!" Edward cried, agonized. "I was the only one who lost control!"

Carlisle put a hand on his shoulder. "That's only because you're the fastest of us, Edward," he said softly. "The rest of us had time to pull ourselves out of the hunting stage. You didn't. And you were the most thirsty of us, as well. Lately you haven't been hunting enough."

Edward looked away guiltily. "I've been spending time with Bella..."

"I understand that you want to spend time with her, but not hunting often enough is _dangerous_," Carlisle reprimanded. "To your health _and_ hers."

"I know," Edward muttered. An odd look crossed his face. "It was the strangest thing, really. If she had been any other human, and I was in my hunting phase, I would have looked at her as just another animal. But she was so much... _more_... than that. I wanted her. I wanted her so much. More than I've ever wanted _anyone_ except..." he trailed off.

"Bella?" Carlisle prompted after a moment.

"Yes." Edward frowned. "I don't understand. Bella's blood sings to me. I almost feel like this one's blood does the same."

"Hmm," Carlisle mused. "Is it possible, then, that more than one person's blood can sing to one of us? That is unheard of. If it's possible, it would be a one-in-three-billion chance..."

Esme drifted down the stairs. "How is she?" she asked.

Carlisle sighed. "It's difficult to tell, at this point," he told her. "She may or may not live. All we can do is wait."

Edward looked down at the girl's fair face, thinking miserably, _I don't even know her name. I just ruined her life—took everything away from her—and I don't even know her name._

Tromping through the woods, Jacob and Niki had nothing to do except talk. He was telling her everything about being a werewolf while she slashed through the underbrush with her katana.

"Imprinting," Jacob was explaining, "is what happens when a werewolf finds his or her soul mate. All I have to do is see her, and I know that we fit like puzzle pieces. We were made for each other."

"Sounds sappy," Niki remarked.

"Yeah. I know." He looked at her shyly.

Catching the look, she gave a start. "Is _that_ what happened? I mean, when you saw me? Did you imprint on me?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." A red tint came to her bronze cheeks. "Does that last forever?"

"Yup."

Strangely, the thought of being with Jacob forever didn't bother her in the slightest. In fact, she rather liked it. No more Dane! Staying with a hot werewolf forever! And she did mean _hot_, literally. He was, what, one hundred eight, one hundred nine degrees? A werewolf thing, he had told her.

"So, how old are you, anyway, Jake?"

"In age? Or physically?" He grinned at her. "I'm sixteen, but when I hit werewolf maturity, my body took it all the way to twenty-five."

"Oh. Heh. So, when are we going to get back to the pack in La Push?"

"Well, I was in wolf form on the run here. In one night I ran about three days' walk for a human."

She sighed. "Well, we can stop at Forks on the way, I guess. And any other small-town pit stop we can find."

For three days, Jacob and Nikita walked. For three days, Edward kept watch over Gracie. For three days, Bella steamed and cried over not having Jacob _or_ Edward.

Sam, lounging in a wicker chair on Billy Black's porch, looked up, suddenly alert. "Jacob's coming back," he said in wonder.

Leah's head jerked up. "_What_?!" she demanded.

Jacob and Niki emerged from the trees. Jacob, in his excitement, was pulling Niki along by her elbow. She could have broken his wrist in one swift movement, but she chose to allow it. Let him have his moment. He was happy.

"Jake!" Quil and Embry were on their feet first.

Jacob, already walking fast, started to run.

"Ow—Jake—elbow!" Niki gasped.

"Oh. Sorry." He released her and cupped her elbow more gently. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she grumbled. "Go see your friends."

He obeyed eagerly, flickering through the grass and screeching to a halt on the porch. There was a pause.

"Glad to see you came back," Sam said calmly.

Leah walked up to Jacob and punched him in the arm. "That's for leaving," she told him.

"Who's the ten-year-old?" Paul muttered.

Niki, walking slowly, had just arrived at the porch in time to hear his comment. She glared at him. "I'm fifteen," she snapped. "My mother was addicted to crack when I was born, okay? I'm a crack baby. I'm tiny. So what?"

Jacob, hearing the conversation, gently slid his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him in a protective gesture. She was so busy glaring at Paul that she almost didn't notice the motion. Sam, Jared, and Quil all instantly recognized the sparkle in his eye from their own experiences. Exchanging glances, the three wordlessly agreed to speak to Jacob privately later.

"Oh, stop that," Leah said sharply. "All of you. What's your name?" she demanded of Niki.

"Nikita Shahar," Niki announced, for once employing her regal full name. Then, deflating, "But I like to be called Niki for short."

"Well, Niki," Leah said, "I'd like to get to know you, then. I'm guessing Jacob already told you about...?" She trailed off, looking a question at Jacob.

"About you guys being werewolves?" Niki completed. "Yeah, he told me."

"Good. If you're going to become one of the Wolf Girls, I want you to meet Emily." Leah took firm hold of Niki's arm and started dragging her off. Niki looked at Jacob in confusion, but he nodded in approval. With a shrug, Niki followed Leah.

"I'm going with them," Paul said, already starting off. "That girl needs to be figured out."

"Me, too," Embry added, following.

This was the perfect chance for Sam, Quil, and Jared to talk to Jacob privately. They closed in on him.

"You imprinted, didn't you?" Jared asked.

Jacob blushed. "Yeah," he muttered.

"Why didn't you tell us before now? In wolf form?" Quil demanded.

"I wanted to tell you in person." Jacob frowned. "I can count the things I know about her on one hand, though."

"It doesn't seem to matter, does it?" Sam commented dryly. "Not when you've imprinted. It doesn't matter that you know nothing about her. It doesn't even matter that you were in love with someone else..." He trailed off, staring after Leah.

Jacob had a brief, guilty image of Bella. _But she didn't want you anyway_, said his cold voice of reason. Even so, he decided, she needed to know that he was back. And he should tell her about Niki.

Just a few minutes later, he was on the phone with Bella's father, Charlie. "I'm sorry Jake, but Bella isn't home," Charlie told him. "Can I take a message?"

Jacob thought about that. "Sure. Can you tell her that I'm back, and I imprinted? She'll understand."

"Yeah, sure, Jake."

"Thanks, Charlie." Jacob hung up.

About half an hour later, Bella stomped in the door. "Dad?" she yelled. "What do you want for dinner?"

"Anything's good, Bells. Hey, Jake called earlier."

Bella froze. "Jake?" she repeated. "As in, _Jacob Black_?"

"Yeah. He said to tell you he was back, and he printed something, I think."

Bella was suddenly in the doorway of the living room, her face white. "Jacob said he _imprinted_?"

"Yeah, that was it. Bella, honey, is everything okay?"

"Fine, Dad." She turned away. "Just fine."

Edward took the stairs to the basement two at a time. His ears rang with Gracie's agonized screams.

Carlisle looked up as he approached. "Is Bella out of the house?" he yelled over the screaming.

"Yes, I sent her home," Edward yelled back. "Is it almost over?"

"Almost, but when she wakes up, she's going to be thirsty. Has Emmett come back yet?"

"No, but he's only a few minutes away. He's got two young bucks. That should calm her down for a while."

Abruptly, the screaming stopped. Edward and Carlisle both looked at Gracie as she fell limp.

"Edward, go get Jasper," Carlisle said calmly, but with a note of urgency in his voice. "She's about to wake up and I want him in here when she does."

Edward vanished. Carlisle chewed his lip, considering whether to stay and risk the girl hurting him or leave and risk her hurting _herself_.

Gracie's eyelids flickered and she moaned. Then her eyes flashed open.

They were black.

Jasper flew down the stairs and skidded to a halt in front of the couch. He took a deep breath, and suddenly the air around him seemed filled with a sea of calm.

Gracie seemed unaffected, however. Her breath came hard and fast, her eyes opening wide. Her skin was white. Sitting up slowly, she looked around.

"Oh," she whispered, then, more frightened, "_Oh!_"

Emmett came pounding down the steps, two antlered deer slung over his shoulders. "Here," he panted, dropping them. He looked at Jasper. "Can you convince her to eat that and not us?"

There was no need. Gracie inhaled the intoxicating scent of fresh, warm blood. Her head spun and she swung off the couch, stumbling past Jasper, and fell to her knees beside the deer.

"Carlisle!" Esme called from upstairs. "Come here a moment, will you?"

His eyes flickering from Gracie to the stairs and back to Gracie, Carlisle called back, "Yes, I'll be up in a moment." Looking worriedly at Emmett and Jasper, he asked, "Will you two keep an eye on her? Jasper should be able to calm her down a little after she feeds."

The two boys nodded, and Carlisle ran back up the stairs. Jasper stared off into space while Emmett turned back toward the girl. Her eyes were slowly lightening in color from glittering black to deep, blood red.

Suddenly she crawled away and sat down cross-legged a few feet away from the drained bucks, eyes wide. Emmett took a cautious step toward her, but Jasper walked past him. He crouched by the girl.

"What's your name?" he asked gently.

She looked up at him with stricken crimson eyes. "Gracie," she whispered. "Gracie O'Connor."

"Gracie," he repeated. "My name is Jasper. This is my brother, Emmett." He gestured to Emmett, who came to kneel besides him.

"Hey, Copper-curls," Emmett said with his usual lopsided grin.

"How are you feeling?" Jasper asked Gracie, his voice still gentle.

Her breathing was quick and shallow. She gulped. "Awful. I feel sick and—and—" She looked nauseous. "I—I sucked the blood out of those deer!" Her eyes went even wider and she started to hyperventilate. "_What is happening to me_?"

Jasper concentrated, and a sense of peace flowed through the air around him. Gracie, however, was not calmed. If anything, she looked worse, since no one had answered her.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she whispered, "Please tell me what happened."

"Usually I would say you wouldn't believe it," Emmett said dryly, "but at this point, you don't really have any choice."

Jasper sighed. "You're a vampire, Gracie," he told her. "I'm sorry."

Gracie's eyes flew open. She looked sick. "Is this some kind of prank?"

"No prank," Emmett told her. "We were out hunting. Our brother found you hiking and he kind of... lost control."

Yes, she remembered that. The last thing she had seen before that burning agony was a beautiful, angelic boy's face. He looked about seventeen, maybe eighteen; bronze-haired, black-eyed, and pale as a ghost, he had glared down at her before leaning down to bite her throat.

"I _can't_ be a vampire," Gracie whispered.

"It's not so bad. Really," Emmett consoled.

"But..." Her eyes filled with tears. "I don't _want_ to kill people."

"You don't have to," Jasper informed her.

Before she could ask how that was possible, the door at the top of the stairs opened and shut. Edward appeared at Jasper's side.

Without taking his eyes off of Gracie, Edward said, "Emmett, Rosalie is looking for you. I think she wants you to help her with the car."

After Emmett had vanished back up the steps, Edward looked at Gracie anxiously. "Listen," he said in a low voice, "I'm really sorry. I don't know what came over me. I haven't lost control like that for a long, long time. I am _so_ sorry. I know I've just taken your whole life from you, and if you can't forgive me, I understand. I do. It was a stupid mistake, and I'm _really_ sorry..."

Gracie quietly rose and walked toward him. Stopping in front of him, she reached up to fist one hand on his sleeve and stare soulfully up into his topaz eyes with her garnet ones. He sensed that he could not make her let go if he tried—as a newborn, she was much stronger than he.

"I forgive you," she whispered. "Don't feel guilty. It was an accident." Tears filled her eyes and spilled down her cheeks. "It wasn't really your fault."

Jasper closed his eyes, the sight of her tears tearing into him. Reaching out blindly, he touched her back with his fingertips, trying to give her some level of comfort. She lifted her free hand and latched onto his shirtsleeve, as well. Somehow she trusted them, vampires though they might be. She was being forced to begin a new, frightening life, and having these two to guide her somehow made the horizon seem a little less dark.

"There's only one problem," she mentioned, glancing at Jasper, who had opened his eyes again. "Whose blood do I drink, if not humans'?"

"My family and I drink blood from animals," he explained gently. "Not every vampire chooses our way of life, but those that do tend to get along better with humans."

Gracie chuckled. "I can understand _that_." She released both of their sleeves, locking her hands behind her.

Edward heard Jasper thinking, _How strange that a newborn is so reasonable and in control. I had expected her to be snapping her teeth at us right now._

There was another strange thing about Gracie, Edward realized. He couldn't hear her thoughts. In a low, curious murmur—so fast and quiet that Gracie probably couldn't catch it—Edward asked Jasper, "Can you calm her?"

"I've been _trying_," Jasper replied. "She's not responding."

Edward paused for a moment, head cocked, eyes glazed. Then he shook his head. "Alice is yelling at me from upstairs," he told Jasper. "I'll be right back." He vanished up the stairs.

Just a few moments later he was back, with a puzzled look on his face. "Alice can't see her," he said simply, and Jasper's eyes widened with comprehension.

So, Gracie was immune to the gifts, too.

It was a little past twilight. The bonfire roared and those of the council—and the pack—talked and laughed. Niki, having been invited by Jacob, sat on a white driftwood tree near the fire, her legs swinging back and forth since her feet couldn't reach the ground. Jacob sat at her feet, facing the fire. For the past half hour or so, he had been bombarding her with questions about her life, interested in every miniscule detail.

"So, tell me about your life. The whole story." He leaned back against her legs and she smoothed his hair.

"Well, I was an accident, as so many babies are," she began. "One party with alcohol, one night of unprotected sex... BAM! Nine months later, there I was. My mom, Lisa, was on every drug known to man when I was born, so I came as a crack baby. That's why I'm so tiny." She gestured to herself. "I didn't know Dane, back then. My mom hadn't seen him since that one night. So she tried to raise me, on every drug known to man, with only my older brother Nathan to help. When I was three and a half, he went out and got himself shot in some gang fight. He died at nineteen. My mom tried to take care of me—she did a crappy job, but at least she tried, which Dane doesn't. Anyway, when I was five, she went and dumped me on his doorstep, then went off and killed herself."

She fell silent. Jacob, wincing at the horror of the story, reached up to pat her on the knee. Slightly mollified, she continued.

"Dane only took me in because the law said he had to. He taught me what I had to know to live and then gave up on me. He started disappearing for hours, sometimes days, at a time. A lot of the time he came back _bad_ drunk and started throwing things and cursing. Of course, I wasn't stupid. I knew he'd probably throw _me_ around if he caught me while he was in a state like that. Not too long ago, he got into trouble with some local authorities and decided to move out of state, dragging me along with him." She shrugged. "That's how I ended up here."

"Oh." He thought it would be prudent to change the subject from her family. "How did you learn to use a sword?"

She laughed. "Now, _this_ is an interesting story. No one ever believes it. I met a foreign exchange student in elementary school. We were both seven, but his parents were martial artists and he had been training in ninjutsu for his whole life. He offered to teach me. All throughout elementary, then junior high, he taught me. Then, of course, we moved here."

"Where do you go to school?"

"Online. With my life, it wouldn't exactly be easy to go to school everyday."

"You have a tattoo on your shoulder—I saw it while we were walking back to La Push. Where did you get it?"

She laughed again. "Busted. You mean this one, right?" Since she was wearing a tank top, she twisted a little to show off her tattoo. It was an intricately done wolf, howling at the moon. "I went and had it done right before we moved. Ironic, isn't it? That I would get a wolf tattoo before going and learning about all of—_this_." She made a sweeping gesture that encompassed the fire and everyone around it.

"Very," he agreed, then fell silent.

She smiled. "What, no more questions?"

"I just want to look at you for a minute."

Oh, the _way_ he was looking at her! Like a caveman looks at fire. Like he'd had his eyes closed for his entire life, and suddenly she came along and opened them. Like she was the most beautiful creature in existence. Like all he wanted from life was to follow her smallest movements and watch every expression that crossed her face.

Niki, so unused to attention—much less affection, and _much_ less adoration—was touched by his tender devotion. She slid off the driftwood tree into the sand next to him.

Cautiously, hesitantly, Jacob wrapped his arm around her. Without a thought, she leaned into him, turning her face to snuggle into his warm chest.

"So," she began. "Emily's and Kim's lives as the girlfriends of werewolves, as Wolf Girls... they're not so bad, huh?"

Jacob shrugged. "I guess not.

Casually, Niki commented, "I wouldn't mind that life."

Pulling her closer, he whispered, "Really?"

"Really." _Well, why not?_ she thought. _He was in love with me at first sight. I'm allowed to be in love with him three days after we meet._ Having made her decision, she reached her arms around his neck, pulled herself up, and kissed him softly on the lips.

Stunned, Jacob didn't react. Niki pulled away, arms still around his neck, and smiled. "Sorry, was that sudden?"

He blinked once, then gave her his crooked grin. "Would you mind doing it again?"

Happy to comply, Niki leaned up again. This time Jacob swept her up and captured her mouth in a hot kiss. She sighed in delight, tightening her arms around him.

At last he released her. They both felt dizzy and lightheaded. "Well, I was going to invite you to stay at my house," he gasped, "but I think I'd be too tempted."

"Oh, _please_, let me tempt you." She leaned up again.

"Niki, please," he whispered. "Trust me. Since I became a werewolf I've had a lot less... _restraint_... than normal."

Niki smirked and kissed his lips again. "Okay, Jacob. Anything to protect your virtue. I'll stay with Emily. She invited me earlier."

Jacob sighed in relief and disappointment. "That's a good idea." Then, suddenly anxious, "But you don't mind if I patrol around her house? Someone might come looking for you."

Her smirk widened. "I don't know if that's wise. You can get in the window, can't you?"

Jacob blushed. "Niki!"

She laughed, her smirk softening into a genuine smile. "I won't mind, Jake." She snuggled into his chest again. Of course, she knew that if anyone came looking for her, they would be human—and she could handle humans. But she wanted Jacob close to her. She wanted to feel his presence. "Yeah... I'll stay with Emily."

It had been a week and a half since Edward had bitten Gracie. Every other day or so, Emmett brought her animals to feed on. Soon her eyes had gone from red to gold, showing that she was a "vegetarian" vampire. Jasper still came to visit regularly, and of course she saw Emmett every other day, but Gracie was beginning to long for Edward—she wanted to see his face again, hear his voice. She felt the bond she had with him—forged when his fangs had pierced her throat—pulling at her heart. She was pining after him.

She had asked about him, once. Emmett wouldn't tell her much, but he did hint that any romantic interest she took to him would be deflected. She understood from his comment that he was spoken for. Gracie muttered that she hoped Edward's girl took good care of him; then she stopped speaking of Edward altogether.

After asking Carlisle's advice, Jasper—still the newborn expert—decided to let Gracie out on parole for good behavior. He had never seen a newborn acting as reasonable and calm as she did during that first week. Most newborns would be bloodthirsty and trying to kill everything within twenty feet. On the other hand, Gracie's most prominent quality was her way of standing, so quiet, unnoticed, and observing everything that went on around her. It was like nothing Jasper had ever seen.

Jasper, of course, was going to escort her on her tour around the Cullens' land. Edward, still feeling responsible for everything to do with Gracie, insisted on accompanying them.

Meanwhile, Nikita had decided to take a walk. She walked around La Push for a while, then went farther, almost all the way to Forks.

Edward smelled it first, so much more accustomed to the scent at this point than any of the other vampires. He stopped, frowning.

Jasper stopped as well, and Gracie slowed when she saw the look on his face. "What's wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"I smell dog," Edward growled, eyes narrowing.

Jasper gave the air a sniff. "I smell it, too. But it also smells human. I think it's just a neutral from La Push."

Edward nodded. Gracie looked curiously from him to Jasper and back.

Jasper looked pointedly at Edward. Understanding, Edward picked out his thoughts; _Let's just wait and see how she reacts._

Edward frowned, about to protest, but he pressed his lips together and said nothing. He didn't want Gracie getting anywhere near anything that might set her off, but he knew that Jasper was the expert in this case.

It wasn't long before they came upon the source of the scent. A tiny pixie of a girl, with black hair and toffee skin, a sword at her hip, was standing in the trees, apparently just enjoying the quiet.

Gracie, eager to see someone besides Jasper, Emmett, and Edward—the only people she had seen for the past week or so—raced ahead to stop directly in front of the stranger.

Niki blinked in surprise and looked the girl up and down. The redhead was ghost-pale, with amber eyes and perfect white teeth. Comparing her against the legends that Leah had been telling her over the past week, Niki asked, "You're a vampire, aren't you?"

Gracie shrugged. "Yeah, I think so. I only became one a couple of weeks ago. What are you? You smell like human, but something else, too."

Niki chuckled. "That's werewolf you smell. I'm human, I've just been hanging out with those smelly dogs down at La Push."

_So that's what Edward and Jasper were talking about, _Gracie thought. Remembering her escorts made her glance around for them; they were nowhere to be found. Turning her attention back to Niki, she smiled shyly. "Are they really smelly?"

Niki wrinkled her nose, saying, "Most of the time. But only the boys. Leah keeps pretty clean."

Gracie giggled softly.

"So, I'm Nikita," Niki introduced herself. "Call me Niki for short. What's your name?"

"Gracie," Gracie said shyly.

Edward, watching from the trees with Jasper, suddenly stiffened.

"What is it?" Jasper asked urgently.

"I don't know—its thoughts are—" His eyes suddenly widened. "It's after the human," he breathed. Starting forward from the trees, he called, "Gracie! There's something coming—"

With an earsplitting shriek, a creature suddenly burst from the trees. It more or less resembled a cockroach the size of a horse. Its mandibles snapped closed an inch from Niki.

"WHAT THE—" Before she could finish her thought, Niki was bowled over and slammed to the ground by Gracie.

"Get out of here," Gracie told her, golden eyes suddenly cold. "Fighting will be that much harder if I have to worry about not hurting you."

"I can fight," Niki protested.

"_Get out of here_!" Gracie's voice was a growl, and the look in her eyes was almost feral.

Obediently, Niki struggled to her feet and took off into the forest.

Gracie turned to face the hideous beast with a snarl. It started toward her.

She leapt for it.

Edward and Jasper look on in horror as the two wrestled, trying to gain ground. They wanted to join the fight but were wary of the confusion; they might end up hurting Gracie more than the monster. Gracie should have been able to take the creature by herself—as a newborn, her strength was greater than the sum of Edward's and Jasper's—but somehow, the fiend was able to hold its own against her. At last, she locked it against a tree and crushed it.

Edward started toward her, but she turned on him in fury, eyes blazing. He held up his hands and took a cautious step back. Then her eyes lost some of their fire.

"Edward?" she whispered, almost seeming to deflate. He started for her again, but she threw up her hands for him to wait. "Don't come close," she said harshly, shaking her head. "I—I think I might attack you." She turned away, trying to gather her bearings and cool the sudden bloodlust that had overtaken her.

At last she looked back at them, her face drawn and weary, her eyes frightened. "We should go back," she whispered. Jasper gently took her shoulder and steered her back toward the Cullen house.

Niki ran all the way back to La Push's border. Before she even realized he was there, Jacob had caught her up in his arms and kissed her roughly.

"I was _worried_ about you!" he told her. "I came back from a run with the pack to find that you were out of my reach!"

"What—what are you talking about?" she gasped, her head still spinning from her fear and his kiss.

"We have a treaty with the Cullens. Didn't Leah already tell you about this?"

"Oh—yeah." The treaty said that Jacob couldn't cross the border into the Cullens' territory, which was where Niki had been.

"What happened?" Jacob asked, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear and frowning. "You look upset."

"While I was walking, I ran into some of the Cullens, and..."

His face darkened. "Did they say something to you?" he demanded, gritting his teeth.

"No, no! The Cullens weren't the problem. See, while I was talking to Gracie..."

"Gracie?" Jacob interrupted, confused. "None of the Cullens are named Gracie."

"That's what she _said_ her name was."

"Describe her to me."

"Well, she had pale skin, gold eyes..."

"Very funny, Niki. What color was her hair?"

"Red," Niki answered, confused as to why it mattered.

Jacob shook his head in puzzlement. "None of the Cullen females have red hair. One is blonde, one has black hair, and one has brown hair."

"Well, maybe there's a new female," Niki said with a shrug.

He looked at her sharply. "You say that so easily—like it's no big deal." When she gave him an odd look, he sighed. "The _treaty,_ Niki. The _treaty, _remember?"

Dazed and breathless, Niki racked her brain. What did the treaty say about new vampires?

Oh. Right. No biting.

Muttering a foul word under her breath, Niki shook her head. "Come on. We'll have to tell the others about this. Do you have your car?"

He nodded toward his Rabbit, stalling by the side of the road.

"Great," she said. "Let's go. I'll tell you what happened on the way."

"Carlisle?" Edward knocked softly on the study's door and opened it. "May I speak with you a moment?"

"Certainly, Edward. Come in."

Edward walked to his desk. "I need you to draw on your vast stores of learning," he said, only half jokingly.

Carlisle marked the page he was on and looked up at Edward, lacing his fingers together. "Yes, what is it?"

"I was wondering if you've ever heard of anything like this." Edward described the creature they had seen, and the way it withstood Gracie's incredible strength. He explained about the beast's single-minded intensity, its simple thought patterns, and its goal to catch Niki. The whole time, Carlisle listened in silence.

At last, Edward fell silent. Carlisle considered for a moment, then leaned back with a sigh. "I'll have to consult a few reference books, but I'm fairly sure of what you've described. It sounds like a demon to me."

"A demon?" Edward echoed, brows furrowed.

"That's what they call themselves, although they are not demons in the sense of fallen angels, or spiritual servants of the devil."

"But what is it? And why would it be after a human?"

"They are a race of shape shifting immortals that vary in strength. The weakest are stuck with one shape as soon as they choose it. The strongest can change form instantly, even constantly, if they so choose. As to your second question, the demons can be summoned and bound to the will of those that summon them. I don't know why someone would be after that particular human, but if someone had a mind to, they could bind a demon to go and get her." Carlisle frowned suddenly. "Did you say you saw this 'Niki' while walking with Gracie?"

"Yes," said Edward, not understanding his sudden change in tone.

"And Niki smelled like werewolf?"

"Yes..."

Carlisle breathed deeply. "Then she might tell the werewolves about Gracie."

Suddenly, Edward picked up on his train of thought. If it had been possible, he would have gone even paler.

"We broke the treaty," he whispered.


	2. Reactions

**Chapter Two: Reactions**

"Um, hello?"

Niki looked up at the sound of an unfamiliar girl's voice. "Hi."

Bella stopped in front of her, eyeing the sword. "I haven't seen you around here," she said cautiously.

Sheathing her katana, Niki shrugged. "I just moved in a little ways from here. I'm staying with a friend right now."

"Really? Who?" Maybe, Bella thought, she would recognize the name.

Although Niki was actually _quartering_ with Emily, she was really here on Jacob's invitation in the first place, so she saw no reason to bring Emily's name into it. "Jacob Black."

Bella instantly stiffened, eyes narrowing. Was _this_ the girl that Jacob had imprinted on?

Niki frowned at the dirty look she was receiving. "What the hell is _that_ look for?"

"What look?" Bella snapped.

"_That_ one. The one you're giving me right now." Niki's frown deepened. "Was it something I said?"

"No—uh—listen, are you the girl Jacob imprinted on?"

It was starting to make a little more sense to Niki. _Oh, is THAT_ _how it is?_ She buried the smile that was trying to emerge. "Yeah," she said sweetly. "Let me guess. You must be Bella Swan! Oh, Leah's told me _all_ about you."

Bella bit her lip. Leah Clearwater was _not_ happy with her.

"Well, listen here, you," Bella snapped. "Jacob's been through a lot, okay? If you do _anything _to hurt him, I will break your face."

Niki's chest tightened with so much anger, she thought she would explode. Slowly, she drew the katana from its sheath and walked quietly toward Bella.

Bella shifted nervously, thinking, _She won't really cut me with that, will she? No, she can't..._

Poking the point of her katana at Bella's chest, Niki spoke in a sugary sweet voice. "Oh, Bella," she sighed. "Bella, Bella, Bella. I understand your concern, of course. I mean, I, as the woman in his life, would understand much better than the fucking slut who dragged him through every level of hell. And he followed you, too, didn't he, Bells? He would have done anything for you." She smiled sweetly. "It isn't my fault that you threw that away. It isn't Jacob's. It's not even your bloodsucking boyfriend's—Edward, isn't it?" _No offense, Edward,_ she thought. "Ah, Edward. Yes, he _is_ cute. Not that I'm really concerned about that—_I_ have _Jacob_—but Gracie seemed pretty happy under his protection." She sighed dotingly. "They are _so_ sweet together."

"You lying bitch," Bella whispered in horror, then clapped her hand over her mouth. She had never cursed before.

Niki chuckled. "Oh, are we talking about _you_, now? I hadn't noticed the change of subject." She gave her most syrupy-sweet smile with her most blackly furious eyes. "As I recall, _you_ were the one who told Jacob you loved him, and then ran off with Edward." Niki shook her head sadly. "Alas, poor Jacob. Fortunately for you, I don't think he even remembers what you did to him, anymore. I think he's forgotten almost everything." She laughed. "That is, except his imprinting." Bella understood the connotation; _except for me_.

Without thinking, Bella lifted her hand to slap Niki in the face. In one fluid motion, the katana slid back into its sheath, Niki twisted Bella's striking arm, and, with the heel of her hand, the black-haired girl _broke Isabella Swan's nose_.

Bella screamed, the agony in her face overriding even the shallow cut across her chest. She wrenched away from Niki, holding her nose with both hands and screaming. Niki thought she heard someone laughing in the trees, but it could have been her imagination.

Niki smiled sympathetically. "As I recall, _you_ were the one planning on breaking faces tonight." Tilting her head to one side, the smile frozen on her face in a terrifying display, she asked, "How's that working out for you?"

Bella snarled at her.

Just to add insult to injury—to twist the knife (or the katana), so to speak—Niki leaned conspiratorially closer to her, as though they were great friends sharing a secret. "I wouldn't advise going over to the Cullens' right now," she said pleasantly. "I've heard that Jasper gets a little bit out of control around blood. The others might restrain him, but, well..." she shrugged, "accidents happen. He might, oh, I don't know, maybe... _eat _you?"

Not caring about the fact that a stranger knew so much about the Cullens, Bella fled, Nikita Shahar's laughter ringing in her ears.

Niki frowned at the trees. "Alright, I know you're in there," she said, swinging her katana up to point in the direction that the laughter had come from earlier. "Come on out."

Paul emerged from the trees, shaking with restrained laughter. "Oh, poor Jacob," he crowed. "He doesn't know what a little monster he has on his hands!" Lifting one hand, palm out, he said, "Give me one of these, Tinkerbelle."

Niki reached up to give him a high-five, hopped once, then put her hands on her hips and pouted. "I can't reach."

"Oh. Sorry." He held his hand lower, and she slapped it. "Hey, um, just so I don't get on your bad side... because, after today, I _really_ don't want to get on your bad side... any rules of thumb for me to follow with you?"

"Well, don't ever compare me to Bella Swan, because there _is _no comparison," Niki said pleasantly. "She is infinitely more of a bitch than I am, but I, Paul... I _am_ the Dark Side." She frowned suddenly, serious. "And listen—this is important. Never tickle me. Never, ever, ever, _ever_ tickle me _anywhere_, for _any_ reason." She glared fiercely at him. "_Especially_ not my sides, or I swear I'll break something. You got that?"

"Yes, ma'am." He saluted her. "Is that it?"

"One more thing. Don't tell Edward I called him a bloodsucker, okay? Gracie will get mad at me. She likes Edward. I can tell."

"Uh... okay."

"So, tell me something, Paul. You _were_ spying on me, weren't you?"

He shrugged.

"Did Jacob put you up to it?"

A nod. "He had to help Billy with something and couldn't watch you himself."

"Ah... he _is_ paranoid, isn't he?"

Another nod.

"Well, I'm glad it was you that witnessed this event, and not Jacob. And if you tell Jacob about what you saw... you'll be next."

Wide eyes.

"Just kidding, Paul." She looked off into the distance, suddenly pensive. "Honestly, though... you should tell him. He has a right to know." She forced a smile. "A guy's gotta know what the merchandise really is before he buys it, right?" _A guy's gotta know that his girl is a witch before he hands over his heart, right?_

Paul chuckled. "I'll let him know, but I want _you_ to know something, too... Jacob's gonna be _real_ happy having his hands full with you for the rest of his life."

Niki nodded. "Thanks, Paul." _I hope so. I _want_ to make Jacob happy._

Later, once they had reached Jacob's house, he came running out to meet them. Paul walked forward, placed one hand on Jacob's shoulder and said, very solemnly, "Jacob... you're doomed."

Niki laughed her pure, clear, innocent laugh as Paul walked off. Jacob looked at sweet, energetic, tiny little Niki... and she flashed him the evilest smile he had ever seen.

* * *

When Edward went to see Gracie in the basement, he found her sitting on the couch, with Jasper kneeling in front of her and speaking to her softly. Gracie was trembling violently.

Edward crouched by Jasper. "Are you okay?" he asked Gracie.

"No," she told him frankly. "I'm worried about what I'm going to do _next_ time I go crazy like that. I almost attacked you, remember?"

"I would have been alright," Edward lied.

"No, you wouldn't have. Jasper told me the difference between old vampires and new ones. For the next year or so, I could kill you, if it came to that."

_And the fact that she's so much more in control and possibly much more intelligent than any _other_ newborn—well, that doesn't help your cause,_ Jasper thought to Edward.

"But you won't," Edward said gently, rising. "You have more control than that." He chuckled in dark humor. "More control than _me,_ it would seem."

"Oh, stop that," she said sharply. "You can't keep blaming yourself for that. You were _hunting_. I was _stupid_."

"It wasn't your fault, either," Jasper pointed out dryly. "You can't have known that you stumbled onto a hunting ground for vampires. It was _our_ fault for not reaching Edward in time."

"No, you can't blame yourselves," Edward informed him. "We all know I'm the fastest. No one expected you to catch me."

"Edward!" Rosalie called from upstairs. "Bella is here to see you."

Edward sighed and started for the stairs. Jasper rose. Gracie caught his sleeve. "Can I come out of the basement now?" she whispered.

"Of course." He took her hand and pulled her up, then followed Edward to the stairs.

Bella was standing in the main room, tapping her foot impatiently. When Edward appeared, she threw herself at him.

"Smm kerzy chk brk mah naws." Her voice was muffled, since her face was buried in his shirt.

"What?"

She looked up. "Some crazy chick broke my nose!"

"Oh, _Bella_..." he sighed. "Let me look." Tilting her face up to look at her now-crooked nose, he shook his head. "You're still my bad luck magnet, I see."

"Bad luck my foot! I went to see Jacob and there was this crazy _girl_ on the border. She was tiny, and she was swinging a sword around..."

"Oh, Niki," Gracie sighed.

"I started talking to her, and I found out that Jake imprinted on her, and I just told her to be good to him. And then she basically attacked me! I couldn't come here earlier because I was bleeding all over the place and Jasper..." She threw a guilty look at the blonde vampire, who was standing away from her, as he always did. "So I couldn't come," she finished lamely.

Carlisle strode into the room, followed by Esme, Alice, Emmett, and Rosalie. "Oh, Bella. You're here already. Good. I'm afraid that the time for you to make a decision has come far too quickly." He frowned. "Something has happened. Our treaty has been torn asunder. We must leave at once." He glanced at her sharply. "You must choose, _right now_, whether to come with us."

Bella was frozen. Through white lips she spoke. "You mean—I have to become a vampire? _Right now_?"

"Heavens, no. If we tried to turn you now, you would be incapacitated for days. We haven't the time. But the wolves will be here soon, and you _must_ decide whether you wish to be part of this family or not." He looked squarely at her. "We won't be coming back, Bella."

Bella bit her lip. "I'm coming," she whispered almost soundlessly.

Carlisle nodded. "Then get on Edward's back and let's go."

"Actually, Bella," Edward said in a low voice while the others talked amongst themselves, "would you mind terribly riding on Emmett's back today? I _want_ to carry you, but Gracie is my responsibility."

Bella pressed her lips together, eyes flashing. "Gracie's a _vampire_. She can _run_."

"I know, Bells, but she's a newborn. I'm worried about her self-control. It's been good so far, but if she disappears or attacks someone while we're running, there'll be hell to pay. I need to keep her with me."

"Couldn't you and Alice _find_ her?" Bella protested.

"No, she's immune to our talents. Bella, we really don't have time to argue about this. _Please_ just go along with me."

"Why can't _she_ ride on Emmett's back?"

"I already _told_ you, Bella, she's my responsibility! We don't have time for this!" He swept her up, walked over to Emmett, and dumped her in his arms.

"Put me down," she told Emmett crossly.

"Sorry, Bells. No can do. Edward would have my ears." Emmett grinned his usual lopsided grin.

Edward knelt in front of Gracie. "Get on my back," he commanded.

Unsure, but unwilling to protest since everyone was obviously in a hurry, Gracie climbed onto his back and locked her arms around his neck. He rose, carrying her as easily as though she weighed little more than a doll.

"Try to keep your control," he murmured, just loud enough for her to hear. "In this position, you could kill me in a second." Jasper had warned them about letting newborns get their arms around them, but Gracie was different.

"I'll be careful," she promised.

"Now, I don't know if you'll like running or not, but Bella was scared at first. If you want to close your eyes, that's okay."

"Bella was human," Gracie pointed out.

"Good point. But just in case..."

"I'll be fine."

"If everyone's ready, we need to leave _now_," Carlisle announced.

"Let's go!" Alice bounced on the balls of her feet, excited.

"Move out," Emmett commanded, holding the door open.

* * *

"For the last time, Niki, _stay here!_"

She frowned at Jacob, fingering her katana. "No. I'm going with you."

"You'll get hurt!"

"No, I won't. Jake, you can't make me stay behind."

"Yeah, let her come, Jake," Leah commented. "She could be some help."

"She'll probably scare the Cullens worse than we will," Paul muttered as he walked past.

"Why do you keep saying stuff like that?" Jacob yelled after him, but Paul didn't reply.

Leah, of course, having gotten the whole story from Niki herself, smirked. "Just wait until you see Bella, Jake," she said, satisfied.

"Bella?" Jacob repeated, confused. Realization dawned and he swung around to face Niki. "What did you do to Bella?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Niki said sweetly.

"Come _on,_ you four," Sam called. "Niki, if you're coming, let's _go_."

Jacob leaned down swiftly, cupping Niki's face, and pressed his mouth to hers. "Just be careful, okay?" he whispered. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"I won't get hurt, but if you're going to kiss me whenever I do something stupid and dangerous, I'll have to take up cliff diving."

He touched his lips to hers again. "I'll kiss you whenever you want me to. Whenever you _let_ me."

"Come on, lovebirds!" Embry called. "We're moving on without you!"

Jacob shivered a little, then phased. He dropped to the ground and nodded for Niki to get on his back. Soon, they were off after the Cullens.

As they ran, Niki gripped Jacob's fur and enjoyed the fast-moving wind. Reaching up, she stroked him behind one ear. She though she heard him make a deep sound of pleasure in the back of his throat, but it was hard to tell with the whistling wind.

_This_, she thought, _is going to be interesting_.

* * *

They were halfway out of Forks when Edward stopped, cursing. Everyone else stopped and turned to look at him.

"They're two minutes away and moving fast," he said grimly. "We won't make it past them. We might as well stand and fight." Allowing Gracie to slide off his back, he turned to her and muttered, "I'm sorry to have to put you through this. I'm sorry I ruined your life. I'm sorry that it's my fault that soon you won't have a life to ruin."

To his utter shock, Gracie _laughed_. "We'll make it," she assured him. "Jasper told me the werewolves know how to fight newborns. But they'll expect me to be stupid." She grinned, showing gleaming white teeth. "They won't be expecting me to have any kind of fighting _strategy_."

Edward laughed, surprised. "You really are something else," he said admiringly.

She shrugged. "I'm Irish. What do you expect?"

Before he could reply, Alice spoke in a low voice, eyes open wide.

"They're here," she said simply.

Eyes glittered in the trees around them. One wolf howled, then the others joined in, until the entire pack—closing in on them—was howling.

Gracie felt Edward tense beside her. A low growl was emitting from his throat, golden eyes narrowed.

"Just breathe," she said, perfectly calm. "They'll never see us coming."

"I don't have to breathe, remember?" Edward snapped.

"It's a calming habit," Gracie replied, unperturbed.

Sam flickered into the trees and then walked back as a human, wearing ragged jeans and no shirt. "You broke the treaty," he told Carlisle flatly, getting straight to the point. His face was unreadable.

"Yes," Carlisle said softly.

Gracie stepped up next to him. "It was an accident," she informed Sam defensively. "If it was anyone's fault, it was mine, _not_ theirs."

He flicked a glance at her. "Are you Gracie?"

She inclined her head. "I am."

Sam was about to speak, but was interrupted when a small, sharp voice rang through the gathered immortals. "_No_, Jacob. Put me down."

Gracie looked up, grinning incredulously. "Niki?"

Bella uttered a foul word.

Niki slid off of Jacob's back and ran to Gracie. Jacob whined and started after her, but Leah stopped him.

"Hey, bloodsucker!" Niki said with a grin. "Good to see at least _one_ friendly face here!" Turning her attention to Bella, she smiled sweetly. "Hey, Bella, what happened to your _face_?"

"_You_ did!" Bella snarled.

"_This_ is the girl who broke your nose?" Emmett demanded disbelievingly.

"The one and only." Niki bowed.

Emmett turned away, his shoulders shaking with restrained laughter. Jacob whined again, obviously upset now that he had discovered what Niki did to Bella. Leah turned and disappeared into the woods. A moment later, the sound of her laughter floated back to them. She reappeared fully clothed, still laughing.

"Sorry," she said, grinning apologetically. "Human laughter is hard to contain in the shape of a wolf." She started laughing again.

"It's _not_ funny," Bella said, miffed. Paul snapped his teeth at her.

"Enough!" Sam and Carlisle commanded at the same time, sounding like the strong leaders they were.

"I understand that it was a mistake," Sam told Carlisle, "but it was a mistake far too easily made. It may happen again."

"I don't think it will," Carlisle said softly. Then, with a furtive glance at Bella, he lowered his voice. "But I would prefer to discuss this in private. There are ears here that need not know of certain things at this time."

Sam nodded, and he and Carlisle vanished into the trees for a more private conference.

The situation had shifted. Instead of the werewolves ringing the vampires, it seemed that the two groups were on either side of an invisible line, with Niki and Gracie in the middle.

"It looks like we're Switzerland," Niki commented to Gracie.

"I don't think Switzerland ever had to threaten werewolves and vampires to keep the peace or be stabbed with a katana," Gracie responded dryly.

"Or have their throat torn out by another vampire," Niki reminded her. "So, you want to join me on the Dark Side? Emily makes us cookies."

Gracie shrugged. "Sure. Why not? Just because _other_ vampires can't get along with werewolves—" she threw a glare at the Cullens and Bella— "doesn't mean _I_ can't."

"Gracie, come away," Rosalie called.

"No, Rose, I'm joining the Dark Side," Gracie called back. "Come on over with us. They have cookies."

Rosalie made a face. "I'm a vampire, remember? I can't eat cookies."

"Neither can I, but it convinced me!"

Rosalie, who had a genuine affection for Gracie, shrugged and walked over to stand with them on the invisible line. "I might as well."

Alice suddenly appeared next to her with a mischievous grin. "So, cookies, huh?" she teased.

After that, the line more or less dissolved. Esme and Leah were the next additions, then Emmett, Jasper, Quil, and Embry.

Niki threw her hands up in the air. "Welcome to the Dark Side!" she yelled.

"Who would have guessed? Switzerland _is_ the Dark Side," Gracie observed dryly.

"I'll be right back," Niki told her. "Keep an eye on the Dark Side for me. Make sure things don't get rowdy. Switzerland has a reputation to protect." Then she left the line to walk into werewolf territory.

Planting herself in front of Jacob, she announced, "I _only_ broke her nose because she warned me away from you and then tried to slap me."

Jacob straightened up, snarling all the way across the trees at Bella. Niki smiled and stroked his furry throat.

"Come over to the Dark Side with us," she invited. "We have cookies." She smirked and leaned in to whisper, "Being in a crowd will help protect your virtue from me."

He leaned down to lick her delicately, then turned and vanished into the trees. When he reappeared, he was human and wearing torn jeans with holes in the knees.

"Dark Side, here I come," he said with his crooked grin.

Bella, across the trees, felt a pang of jealousy as she saw Jacob giving Niki her favorite smile. _Her_ smile! Bella clenched her fists.

Edward glanced at her. Sensing her tension but unable to guess the reason for it, he placed both hands on her shoulders. "This'll be over soon," he murmured. "One way or another."

Paul walked over to the Dark Side, but not to join. "Tinkerbelle, come on, Sam's coming back..." He put his hands under her arms, on her ribs.

With a gasp, Niki swung around and punched him as hard as she could in the jaw.

_Crack_.

"_Damn_ it, Paul!" Niki hissed. "I _told _you not to do that!"

He was staring at her with wide eyes, holding his broken jaw, unable to speak.

"Here." She reached up. "Let me see."

He had to bend over double to get his face within her reach. She pulled his hands away and prodded his jaw.

"_Ow_, dammit!"

"Yep, it's broken." Niki threw her arms around him and hugged him fiercely. "You big jerk, you made me punch you! Didn't I warn you? _Didn't_ I?"

Leah was laughing. She gently pulled Niki off. "He'll be fine," she assured her. "In a few minutes he'll be good as new."

"What's all this?" Suddenly Sam was there. "What happened?"

"Niki broke Paul's jaw!" Quil told him cheerfully.

"Oh." Sam looked at Paul. "You'll be alright."

Paul rubbed his jaw and winced. "I know," he growled. Already, it was healed enough to talk.

Sam and Carlisle got everyone's attention. Sam told them that, for now, they were going to overlook the slip-up and allow things to continue as they had been. There were howls of disappointment from the werewolves, but aside from that, everyone took it fairly gracefully.

"There, see?" Edward told Bella, his arm around her shoulder. "False alarm. You still have time to decide, and you don't have to leave Charlie just yet."

That wasn't what was wrong with her—she was still remembering the adoring way Jacob had looked at Niki—but she forced a smile anyway, as though reassured.

While everyone else walked away, Niki and Gracie remained in the small clearing. "I guess it's just us on the Dark Side, now," Niki sighed. "I guess I'm the only one Emily will make cookies for." She shook her head with mock sadness.

"Not necessarily. You could get the werewolf Dark Side to invite the vampire Dark Side to Emily's for cookies. Of course the vampires can't _eat_ the cookies, but it would be a good gesture." She grinned. "Maybe we can teach them to get along."

Niki laughed. "I'm game. Let's teach these dirty dogs and bad bloodsuckers a thing or two about Switzerland, shall we?"

They high-fived.

Gracie froze suddenly, frowning. "Do you smell that?" she whispered.

Niki shook her head. "She who smelt it, dealt it," she informed Gracie.

"No, it doesn't smell like _that_. It smells like... wet fur... and blood." Gracie's eyes widened. "Niki? You might want to leave..."

"Oh, come on, Gracie. Don't go crazy on me, we were having so much fun—"

Slowly, surely, with a sickly whispering sound, a form emerged from the trees.

It was a giant spider. Fangs clicking, green-and-black fur matted with dried blood, it advanced on Niki.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!" Niki was backing away, glancing frantically around for Gracie, who seemed to have vanished. "GRACIE! WHERE ARE YOU?"

The spider suddenly screamed. Gracie had somehow managed to haul herself onto its back and slam it on the back of the head with her locked fists. With a wild cry, she fastened her hands around about where its throat should be.

"Run, Niki!" she snarled, eyes blazing with a fighting fire.

Grimly, Niki drew her katana. "No way in hell." Drawing a deep breath, she leapt forward.

* * *

"What did you tell him?" Edward asked Carlisle.

"What are you talking about?" Carlisle kept his eyes forward.

"Sam. What did you tell Sam? To make him let us go?"

Carlisle slowed a little, causing Edward to slow in an attempt to keep pace. The doctor sighed. "You do know about the werewolves imprinting, don't you?"

"Yes," Edward said, confused as to where this was going. Carlisle was too good at keeping his thoughts focused on what he was saying _now_, never giving away where it was leading.

"Well," Carlisle said slowly, "imprinting is a lot like when a vampire finds their singer. The singer is something that Sam understands." He looked at Edward. "I needed him to understand exactly how unlikely it was that we would make this mistake again."

A memory of Carlisle's voice rang in Edward's ears. _A one-in-three-billion chance_. "Carlisle—you _didn't_—"

Carlisle looked at him squarely. "Yes. I did."

Edward breathed out slowly. "I'm in love with Bella," he reminded his surrogate father.

"I know that perfectly well, and I admire your self-control. But the truth was the only thing that was going to keep us from a fight right then and there, a fight I don't know that we could win."

"Gracie—" Edward began to protest.

"Gracie is one against many, and although she _is _an odd little vampire, not strength _and_ cleverness could protect her in a fight with seven werewolves, much less against all ten—and the other three _would_ come if a fight started." Carlisle frowned. "Even aside from all of that, I don't know that Gracie would fight against the werewolves even to save her own life. She seemed on very good terms with Nikita and Leah, at least. Sam would probably have just let her go anyway. He wouldn't blame her for _us _breaking the treaty."

"For _me_, you mean," Edward said darkly.

"You're the only one that blames you, Edward."

Edward looked away. "This is still my fault," he muttered.

"One way or another, it doesn't matter now. It's over."

Yet, Edward had the strange feeling that it was only beginning.


	3. Conversations

**Chapter Three: Conversations**

"Hey, you guys... where's short stuff?"

The other werewolves stopped and looked at Quil. "I thought she was right behind us," Jacob said, confused. He looked around.

"No, she's not here." Leah was frowning. "Last I saw, she was still hanging out with that new bloodsucker girl."

"A _bloodsucker_?" Paul growled. "We left her alone with a _bloodsucker_?"

"They'll eat her!" Quil cried.

Embry slapped him on the back of the head. "Vampires don't eat people," he told him. "They just suck their blood."

"Because that's _so_ much better," Leah said sarcastically. Then she looked around. "Hey—where did Jacob go?"

Sam looked around too, and sighed. "He went after Nikita."

* * *

The spider collapsed. It had been a relatively long battle, but for the most part, Gracie and Niki were unscathed. Gracie looked up at Niki and grinned. "You aren't half-bad with that thing."

Niki laughed, flashing her katana. "I _have_ been training for nine years."

The two girls were laughing when, out of the trees, a second spider demon lunged forward and sank its fangs into the back of Niki's neck.

Her scream was cut off almost as soon as it began. The paralyzing venom traced through her blood, spreading all throughout her body. Gracie started forward, but the spider—Niki still dangling from its fangs—took off into the trees.

"Edward!" Gracie was screaming. "_Edward!_"

Jacob burst through the trees, eyes wild. "Where's Niki?" he cried.

Gracie pointed at the dead spider. "That thing's _friend_ came and carried her off!"

"Where did it go?" he snarled.

She shook her head. "Jacob, _don't_. We have to get the others!"

"WHERE DID IT GO?!"

"That way—Jacob—"

Jacob wasn't listening anymore. He had already started off in the indicated direction.

Gracie bit her lip. "I didn't want to do this, but..." She appeared in front of Jacob and, gently for a vampire, prodded his clavicle with her thumb. She hit the pressure point she'd been aiming for and he fell, unconscious.

She caught him. "Now you're unconscious, and that's no help," she grouched. "I _wish_ you'd listened to me." Throwing him over her shoulder, she darted off in the direction that the Cullens had gone.

* * *

"Edward!"

Edward turned at the sound of his name, spotting Gracie hauling an unconscious Jacob.

"What happened?" he asked, the others crowding around and asking the same question.

"Niki got kidnapped and _this _idiot came looking for her—he was going to run off by himself. I knew that wouldn't be a good idea. We have to go after her, though!"

Edward didn't even really stop to think about it. He took off in the direction they had just come from, Gracie and the others quickly following.

The werewolves and the vampires showed up at the scene of the crime simultaneously. Paul, seeing Gracie carrying the unconscious Jacob, walked over and snatched him away. Dropping him on the ground, he leaned down and slapped him on the cheek.

"Ow... what the..." Jacob blinked groggily.

"Wake up. We have to go save Tinkerbelle."

"Who...?"

"Niki, Jake," Quil said. "Come on. We have to go after her."

The vampires waited silently while the pack brought Jacob up to date. Gracie described the creature that had run off with Niki. Jacob was on his feet in a moment. "What are we waiting for? Let's _go_!"

* * *

Niki was aware of her surroundings, but she found herself unable to move. The numbness was a good thing, though, she decided, since there were two gigantic spider fangs stuck in the back of her neck. She didn't want to be feeling those.

She was being carried through the woods, between the trees, at a speed she hadn't thought those spindly legs were capable of._ Where is it taking me? _she wondered. _Back to its web to feed to its children? Ah, to be eaten by spider babies... an interesting way to die, at least. Too bad there's nobody to document my life. All the usual crap, and then I met a naked werewolf in the forest and... everything changed! How dramatic._

She watched the trees flashing past her with strange detachment. The venom in her blood was giving her a bizarre out-of-body feeling. Of course, she still couldn't move.

_I hope Jacob hurries up and rescues me. This is getting a little too weird._

* * *

Gracie clung to Edward's back as he ran, resting her head on his shoulder. Her eyes were open, but unfocused; the trees blurred together as they flashed by. He smelled like cinnamon, she decided. And something else, too. Something cold. And then, of course, there was his _own_ scent—the one that was pure Edward, clean or dirty, human or vampire. _His_ scent.

She inhaled deeply, enjoying his scent. She knew he was taken. She wasn't going to push her boundaries. But she could enjoy simply being with him, couldn't she? Shifting just a little, she turned her head to that her lips just barely brushed the cool skin of his neck, so lightly that he probably wouldn't even notice.

Something floral interrupted the smell of Edward. Lifting her head, Gracie gave the air a sniff. It smelled like flowers—several different kinds, if her nose was to be trusted.

Edward slowed a little as an end to the trees came into sight. A moment later, they burst into the sunlight, no longer blocked out by the forest canopy. An ocean of tall grass and wildflowers rolled out before them.

Edward stopped and grimaced. "The trail is lost here," he told the others. "We could never pick out their scent among all these _flowers_."

The werewolves hadn't heard him—they were too busy staring in awe at the vampires. Every inch of the vampires' bare skin was glittering and shimmering like a thousand diamonds. Gracie gasped—she had never seen this, either, so used to cloudy Forks.

"I'd forgotten it was sunny today," Alice remarked carelessly. Then, glancing at Gracie, "Oh, and I forgot that you haven't seen this yet. Yeah, this is why we don't go out in the sunlight. Thus the legend of the night-walking vampire is born." She grinned, flashing her pure white fangs.

"You're beautiful," Gracie breathed, sliding off of Edward's back almost unwillingly.

"Might I remind you that you're a vampire now, too?" Emmett told her. "You look the same way."

Lifting one hand, Gracie caught her breath. Miniscule rainbow sparkles flashed across her small, pale hand. "That's _gorgeous_."

The vampires knew the feeling—they had all been newborns, once, too—but the werewolves were tickled by her obvious wonder. It hadn't occurred to them that, of course, all the strange things about vampires that surprised them would surprise her, too.

"Well, where do we go from here?" Carlisle wondered aloud. "We've lost the trail."

"We can't give up!" Jacob snapped, stalking forward restlessly. "We _have_ to find Niki!"

"No one suggested giving up," Sam said calmly. "We'll find the trail again somehow."

Rosalie frowned. "Well, they came _into_ the field, didn't they?" she said slowly. "They'll have had to _leave_ it somewhere, unless they're still here..."

The idea took a moment to settle in. "_Brilliant_," Leah gasped. "We loop all the way around the field until we pick up the scent going _out_!"

Emmett clapped Rosalie on the shoulder. "Nice work, Rosie," he said with a grin.

Edward motioned for Gracie to climb onto his back. "Come on," he told her. "You're with me."

"I can help look," she protested.

"No need. With the number of us here, we'll find it in no time."

They followed that plan. However, they found no scent leading out of the field.

"That means one of three things," Jasper said thoughtfully. "Either they left by air, they tunneled underground, or they're still here."

"They're here," Jacob said, his voice unexpectedly hollow. "I can feel her here... somewhere."

"I agree," Alice piped up. "I'm _sure_ they're here."

But after they had searched the entire field, they still had found no sign. Yet, Jacob and Alice continued to insist that Niki was near, and soon Edward and Jasper were in agreement. They could all sense Niki near, whatever their gifts. The vampires could faintly smell her blood on the air, but Niki still might have left it earlier. Gracie, however, was firmly convinced that Niki was _in_ the field, and not one step out of it.

Suddenly, Embry firmly sat down on the ground and folded his legs. "I'm tired," he announced. "We've been doing almost nothing but running for _days_. You guys can keep up this wild goose chase, but _I'm_ taking a break."

"Niki is _not_ a wild goose," Jacob snapped, but he sat next to Embry anyway.

The other werewolves quickly followed suit. The vampires, of course, didn't need rest, but Bella did and the others decided to wait with them and plan.

* * *

Everyone was talking amongst themselves when Alice suddenly stiffened, eyes going wide. Edward instantly recognized the signs and leaned in, waiting anxiously to hear what she saw.

When Alice's golden eyes lost their faraway cast, she was still stiff and paler than ever. "Can I speak with you?" she murmured to Edward. "Privately?"

Confused, Edward rose. Alice quickly followed. They walked far enough away from the others that the werewolves' and vampires' excellent hearing couldn't pick them up.

Alice stopped and grabbed Edward's sleeve, staring earnestly up at him. "I saw your future," she whispered.

Frowning, he tilted his head at her. "What happened?"

"It was the far future. A long time from now." Alice looked at him carefully, judging for his reaction. "Bella wasn't in it."

Edward kept his face blank.

Alice chewed her lip, wondering how much to tell him.

"Spit it out, Alice. What aren't you telling me?"

She forced a grin. "Can't you hear me thinking it?"

"No. You're blocking me again." He frowned fiercely at her. "I know there's something you're not telling me because you're translating that _song_ into Arabic again. You only do that when you're thinking about something you don't want me to know."

She laughed and looked away. "Caught me," she said with a guilty smile.

"Spit it out," he replied impatiently.

She chewed her lip for a moment more, then sighed. "Gracie was there. In my vision."

He kept his face carefully neutral.

"You and she—were—" Alice seemed to be having trouble getting the words out. "Together," she finished at last. "Very obviously together. And you gave her that _look_ that you sometimes give Bella, the one you have when all you can think about is how beautiful she is."

"Gracie and I are not _together_," Edward said, teeth gritted.

"I _know_ that. But I thought you had a right to know what I saw." She looked away. "My visions are never failsafe. People change their minds, change their paths. Humans are too easily swayed. But..." She looked troubled. "Well, I just thought you should know."

"Thank you for your concern," Edward said, his voice clipped and icy. "Don't worry yourself about it." And he stalked off.

Emmett had scooted closer when Alice and Edward walked off, his motions hidden by the tall grass. He wanted to hear what Alice had seen. When she started speaking about Gracie, his eyes went wide. He quickly grabbed Jasper by the back of the shirt, harshly whispered, "You need to hear this," and pulled him over to his hiding spot. They both listened as Alice explained her vision.

Jasper shook his head. "Gracie has a right to know," he said in a low voice. Emmett nodded and they crawled off to find Gracie.

* * *

"Are you _sure_ that's what she said?" Gracie's face, if possible, was whiter than before.

"Absolutely," Emmett said with confidence.

Gracie shook her head. "Edward loves Bella," she whispered. "You can see it in his face. He loves her."

"We know that, Gracie," Jasper said gently. "We just thought you had a right to know. We are _not_ suggesting anything. But you did need to know what Alice said."

Gracie bit her lip. "I—um—thank you for telling me. I really don't think I'll be taking anything from this." She looked away. "Can you—can you give me a minute?"

"Of course," Jasper said, dragging Emmett away before he could protest.

* * *

When Edward had finally pulled himself together enough to face the others, he rejoined the group. Jasper was perfectly calm as always, but Emmett looked guilty and wouldn't meet his eyes. He tried reading both of their minds and found only distraction techniques like Alice's.

"Alright, what is it?" he demanded at last. "What are you hiding from me?"

Jasper looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "Hiding?"

"_Hiding?_" Emmett said at the same time. "Why would we be _hiding_ something?" He still wouldn't meet Edward's eyes.

"Emmett, you are _such_ a bad liar. What is it?"

Guilt flashed over Emmett's features again, and Edward quickly tuned into his mind. Unconsciously, his fists clenched and his teeth gritted.

"You were _listening _to my conversation with Alice? And then you _told Gracie_?" Edward seethed.

Jasper met his eyes without flinching. "She had every right to know," he said calmly. The air around him was filled with serenity, and Edward found himself unwillingly relaxing.

"You're going to pay for this when I'm far enough away from you to be angry," Edward informed them flatly.

"I'm sure we will," Jasper said calmly. "Alice, of course, will be just as unhappy to hear that we were listening as _you_ were."

"No, she won't," Edward muttered. Alice always gave Jasper copious amounts of grace in everything.

* * *

Edward was wandering aimlessly as Alice and Jasper discussed how to find Niki, Gracie sitting quietly at Alice's side. He had been walking for a while when he heard Bella's voice, low and earnest.

"I _do_ love you," she was saying. "I've _always_ loved you. You _know_ that, Jacob."

"Bella, don't." Jacob's voice was cool, distant. "You love Edward. And that's okay. That's good. I love Niki."

"She's not _good_ enough for you, Jake!" Her voice rose. "She was the one that broke my nose. She's a possessive bitch and talks about you like you're a trophy. _Jacob! _She doesn't deserve you. She doesn't even love you!"

There was a shuffle, as if Jacob had stood up. "Go home, Bella," he said coldly. "Walk, for all I care. As a favor to me, get hit by a bus on the way. Goodbye, Isabella Swan." And then he was walking off through the grass.

He stopped a few feet from Edward, his eyes wary, searching. At last, he smiled. "I understand that you want to allow her freedom," he said, "but I'm asking you right now to do us all a favor and keep your bitch on a leash."

Edward stared after him as the werewolf waded through the tall grasses into the gathering night.

Alice met Edward on his way back to the group. Her eyes were narrowed and her face was white with fury.

"I saw," she said quietly before he could say anything.

He stopped, confused. "Jacob was there."

"I didn't see him. I saw you. But I heard what Bella said."

He sighed. "I don't want to talk about it right now."

"You don't have to." She touched his arm gently. "But I wanted to ask permission to tell the others. They need to know—about Bella, I mean."

He shrugged and brushed past her.

"One more thing," she called after him. "Edward, I saw you and Gracie again."

He didn't respond.

* * *

Alice was tromping through the high grasses with Jasper ghosting along beside her. She fumed silently while he kept a loose hold on the emotional atmosphere, making sure she didn't go crazy and try to kill everyone around her. They were going to find Bella.

When they did, Alice didn't waste time with preliminaries. "Who the _hell_ do you think you are?" she hissed.

Bella turned to look at her, eyes wide. Alice never cursed either. "What?"

"What? _What?!_" Alice shrieked. "Don't you dare say 'what' to me! I have _never_ referred to a girl as a slut in my _entire life_—and that's been more than a hundred years! But you, Isabella Swan, are a full-blown, honest-to-God, true-blue, hell-bound _slut!_"

Bella could only stare, dumbstruck.

"You heard me! How _dare_ you play off Jacob and Edward. How _dare_ you accuse _Niki_ of being a bitch! You are such a _hypocrite,_ Bella!"

Jasper very gently touched her arm. She seemed about to explode.

Her fists loosened a little so that her nails didn't bite into her palms, but other than that, her stance didn't soften. "Get out of here, Bella. Get out of here _now_. Go home. Don't ever let me see your face again."

"You can't make me—"

Alice's eyes narrowed into slits. "You think I can't?" she hissed. "Get out, Bella! Go home! _Now_!"

Bella was terrified. She had never seen Alice like this. "Fine," she snapped, trying to salvage some dignity but betrayed by her trembling voice. "But if I get lost, it's your fault."

"I'd be glad for the credit. Get _out_! Go dig yourself a grave, human!"

Bella fled.

* * *

When Alice and Jasper returned, the werewolves had started a bonfire. No one really needed it—none of the immortals got cold—but the La Push boys liked the idea, and Leah went along. Soon they were all asleep, tired out from days of running and sleepless nights.

Gracie was curled up by the fire, staring into its depths with wide eyes. "It still surprises me that I don't have to sleep," she confided to Emmett in a whisper. "I keep feeling like there's something I'm forgetting to do at night."

"You can try, if you want," he offered. "We fake it sometimes. Jasper and Alice like to meditate—it's about as close to sleeping as any of us get."

Esme, motherly as always, patted Gracie's arm. "You'll get used to it, honey," she told the redhead. "It's not so bad, really. It leaves a lot of time to do other things."

"Yeah, like think about everything you tried to put out of your mind during the day," Edward said darkly. Carlisle jabbed an elbow into his ribs.

"Where's Bella?" Rosalie asked, glancing around.

"Alice sent her home," Jasper informed her dryly.

Esme frowned worriedly. "Won't she get lost?"

"Bella's a big girl. She'll be fine," Carlisle assured her.

"We'll see about that," Alice muttered, so low that no one heard her.

Edward's restless eyes settled on Gracie, and he stopped listening to the conversation around him. The fire glinted off her coppery hair, which cascaded over her shoulders. Flecks of smoky green still shimmered over the gold in her eyes. She looked so young, so delicate. She was younger than all of them... and younger than any of them had been when they had been turned. Fifteen, she had told them while she still lived in the basement. She was a fifteen-year-old Irish girl who lived with her father and had suddenly been thrown into a world of immortals and myths. And it was his fault.

Her eyes flickered up to catch his. She smiled beatifically at him. Then, her eyes searching his face, a slight frown touched her lips. "Are you okay?" she asked softly.

He nodded and looked away. He couldn't afford to look at her any more.

_Why not?_ asked an insidious voice in his head. _What are you afraid of? Being unfaithful to Bella? 'Edward and Bella' doesn't exist anymore. _She _cheated on _you_, remember?_

Edward growled deep in his throat and scooted away from Gracie, who didn't fail to notice the motion. _What did I do?_ she wondered, crushed.

Jasper saw the motion and the expression that followed. He leaned over and whispered something to Emmett, who nodded with an evil gleam in his eye.

Emmett stood up, stretched, and stepped over next to Gracie, on the opposite side from Edward. "Hey, scoot over, would you?" he asked her. "Make some room by the fire for an old, tired bear."

Gracie laughed softly and sat up, scooting closer to Edward in an effort to make room for Emmett. Emmett settled in next to her with a sigh. "A bit more?" he requested.

She laughed again and moved over. Her hand accidentally brushed Edward's and he jerked it sharply away. She ignored him, talking to Emmett.

As soon as Gracie was otherwise distracted, Emmett turned to look at Jasper. Jasper winked approvingly. Alice, watching the whole exchange, smirked. Edward didn't stand a chance.

_

* * *

_

A sense of urgency hung over Jacob the same way that mist hung over his dream. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face, but he knew he had to look for Niki. He had to find her, before it was too late.

_He heard her screaming from far away. "Niki!" he yelled. He didn't know which way her voice had come from. Turning one way, then another, he called her name again. "Niki! Where are you?"_

"_Jacob! Help me!"_

"_I'm trying—Niki—where are you? I can't see you!"_

"_Jacob—" She was sobbing now._

"_Niki?"_

"_Jake! It's her! Tell Jasper it's her! From—" She was cut off abruptly with a choking sound._

"_NIKI! NO!"_

Jacob sat up with a cry. The vampires stopped speaking quietly to look up at him.

"S-sorry," he said breathlessly, running a shaking hand back through his hair. "Bad dream."

"Ah, dreaming," Emmett sighed with flair. "One of the few things I miss from the old days."

Alice, of course, was interested in the dream. "What was it about? Was it any good?"

"No. It was awful. I was trying to find Niki, and I couldn't, and then she died." He was too embarrassed to go into more detail. Dreams never sounded as bad in the waking world.

"Was that it?" Alice asked.

"Well, she was calling to me, and she told me to tell Jasper 'it's her'."

"What does that mean?" Jasper demanded.

"She died before I could ask her. I thought _you_ might know."

Jasper shook his head. "I've no idea."

Jacob leaned back on his elbows with a sigh. "I don't know what to do. I _know_ Niki is here, but I can't find her. I _have_ to find her before something happens!" With a growl, he was suddenly on his feet and pacing restlessly.

"We'll find her," Gracie said calmly, absolute confidence in her voice. "Niki is Niki, Jacob. Do you really think she won't get out of this, oh ye of little faith?"

"This isn't a time for jokes, Gracie," he snapped.

"I'm not joking." Her face was utterly serene. "If we can't get Niki out of this, she'll get herself out." She smiled at Jacob. "Go back to sleep, werewolf. You're no help to Niki if you keel over from exhaustion."

"I don't know if I want to," Jacob muttered, but he obediently lay back down and was soon asleep.

* * *

Niki had actually fallen asleep on the way. She jolted awake when the spider's smooth, seamless walk slid to a stop. Blinking groggily, she tried to make out the shapes around her, but the room was too dim. It _was_ a room, however, and not a gigantic web like she had expected.

Trying to wrinkle her nose and turn her face away, Niki rolled her eyes in frustration—she was still paralyzed so completely that she couldn't even move her facial muscles! A horrible smell roiled around her, the stench of death and decay. She was beginning to realize that the forms around her looked suspiciously like bodies.

The spider leaned down to put her closer to the ground. Then it started to shake her, trying to get her off of its fangs. Niki flopped around like a rag doll, feeling helpless. She was also very happy that she couldn't feel anything. This was going to hurt later.

There was a tearing sound and the spider screamed. Niki fell limply to the ground, the spider's fangs still stuck in the back of her neck, but no longer attached to the spider's gums. The spider fell on top of her, writhing briefly, then went still.

_Oh, that is SO_ _gross._

* * *

Edward came to his feet abruptly, startling the others. He was staring off toward the trees, golden eyes narrowed.

"They're coming," he said in a low voice.

"Who?" Esme wanted to know.

"Demons?" Carlisle guessed.

Edward nodded. "A whole horde of them. Coming this way." Concentrating fiercely, he murmured, "One of them is far in front. If we could catch it, we might be able to weasel some information out of it—" he scowled— "but I doubt it. Their minds are extremely simple."

"We should wake them up," Gracie said anxiously, glancing at the snoring werewolves.

"I'll do it," Alice volunteered with an evil grin.

"No time for fancy evil schemes right now, Alice. Just wake them up, please," Carlisle told her.

Alice pouted. "Well, _that's_ no fun." She went to wake the werewolves.

It was only a few moments before a deep purple lizard the size of a horse burst from the trees. Scuttling across the field, it didn't notice the humanoid forms crouching in the tall grass.

At the same time, Jacob and Gracie sprang from the grass and latched onto the sides of the lizard. With a roar, Emmett charged and clapped his hands around the demon's tail.

The lizard screamed, a high piercing sound that made the immortals' sensitive ears bleed. Emmett accidentally popped the tail off of the lizard.

Then, all of the sudden, the lizard disappeared.

Gracie and Jacob disappeared with it.

"_Gracie!_" Edward cried, at the same moment as Jared yelled, "Jacob!"

Their cries fell on empty air. Gracie and Jacob were gone.


	4. Discoveries

**Chapter Four: Discoveries**

"Where did they go?" Quil wondered.

"Emmett!" Alice said sharply. "You pulled its tail off!"

"You could have gone with it," Rosalie informed him.

Emmett shrugged, unperturbed as always.

"Enough," Sam said coldly. "The others are coming."

A moment later, demons of all shapes began to emerge from the trees. In unspoken accordance, each of the immortals grabbed hold of a demon and vanished into the air.

As each of them vanished from the field, they found themselves in a place that looked almost like a receiving bay for trucks. Instead of trucks, different kinds of demons scurried through the bay, in a hurry to go this way and that, some of them carrying things—including dead bodies.

Jacob and Gracie were there, waiting for them. Gracie cut straight to the point. "Niki's scent continues here," she said anxiously. "We can follow it, but I have to admit I feel conspicuous. We might be attacked."

"_We_," said Embry, indicating himself and the pack, "can just go into wolf form. We'll fit right in."

"As for us," Carlisle began, "we can stick to the shadows and keep our heads down. We'll fight if we need to. With all the business going on here, I doubt anyone will notice us."

Some of the werewolves were already phasing, while others chose to remain human. Soon everyone was ready to go.

"Get on my back again," Edward told Gracie. "If there's a confrontation, I can outrun it more easily than you. Despite what Carlisle told the werewolves, running would be more prudent than fighting."

Gracie obediently climbed onto his back, her arms tight around his neck. She laid her head down on his back and breathed in his cool cinnamon scent. She knew that she should be worried right now, worried for Niki and for everyone who was going after her, but it was hard to worry with Edward's scent surrounding her. The coolness of his skin wasn't unfriendly, the way she might have imagined; it was calming, soothing.

Edward, meanwhile, tried to ignore the way her blood was singing to him. He could smell her, cold mountain air and fresh, clean pine needles. Inhaling deeply, Edward shook his head, trying to dispel the enchantment her blood had over him. Yet, he was beginning to wonder if it was just her blood that called to him. "Let's go," he said, his voice harsher than he had intended.

They followed Niki's scent, the werewolves spreading out, the vampires sticking to the shadows. They mostly avoided any kind of conflict, fighting or fleeing as needed.

"Her scent is getting stronger," Jacob breathed, eyes wide. His breath was coming short and quick; he was nearly hyperventilating. "We're almost there."

Gracie straightened up a little. "In there." She pointed.

Jacob started for the door, but Sam, in wolf form, stopped him and nodded to Jared and Embry, who were human. Jared very slowly, carefully opened the door and Embry slid inside, looking around for enemies. He saw none and relaxed, beckoning to the others. Jacob darted into the room, looking around frantically for Niki. The others followed, some holding their noses against the awful stench.

Jacob was hyperventilating again. "Oh my God," he gasped, falling to his knees and hauling the huge dead spider off of Niki's stiff body. He very gently turned her over. Her eyes were open, staring straight ahead, and her skin was terribly pale.

"No," he said brokenly. "Niki, no... _Niki!_" His voice rose. "NO!"

Carlisle gently pushed his way past the others and knelt by Niki. Jacob looked up at him and growled, pulling Niki's stiff body away from him, but Carlisle reached for her. "I'm a doctor, remember?" he said gently.

Reluctantly, Jacob surrendered her to the blonde vampire. Carlisle felt for a pulse on her neck—Jacob growling softly at the sight of his fingers on her throat—and very calmly pulled her eyelids up one at a time, checking her eyes.

"Paralyzed," he said at last. "Unconscious, but alive." Frowning, he felt along her back until his fingers touched the demon spider's fangs. "Ah," he said. "She's still being poisoned. Here—hold her like this." He propped her up against Jacob's shoulder with her back to Carlisle. Brushing her hair aside, he hooked his fingers around the fangs and, drawing a deep breath, yanked them out.

Gracie's eyes went wide. "Oh, no," she whispered. Turning, she grabbed Jasper's hand and stumbled out of the room, pulling him along with her.

Niki, fortunately, couldn't feel a thing. But all the hustle and bustle was waking her up. The clatter of voices around her was distracting, and the light in the room from the door stung her eyes. She tried to move, but she couldn't. She tried to cry out, but she couldn't.

Jacob cried out for her.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? LOOK AT HER! SHE'S BLEEDING NOW! GET ALL THE DAMN BLOODSUCKERS OUT OF THE ROOM! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"

Carlisle, calm as ever, turned to the other Cullens. "Go on," he told them. "You can only hinder, here."

They filed out silently. Embry, Jared, and Sam followed.

Everyone was quiet as Carlisle carefully unhooked the fangs from Niki's torn skin. Jacob was really hyperventilating now, tears streaming down his face as blood spread along Niki's back. Paul was white underneath his tan, fists clenched in fury. Leah concentrating on remembering to breathe, having difficulty with her lungs. Quil had his hands over his face, whispering, "No, this can't be happening. Oh, my God. Oh, Niki. This can't be happening."

"W-what's happening?" Jacob asked, frightened. Blood had begun to drip from the corner of Niki's mouth. "Carlisle?" In his terror, he forgot to think of something insulting to call Carlisle. "Is—is she okay?"

"Yes, but the next few minutes are _not_ going to be pretty," Carlisle said quietly. "You should leave. All of you."

"I'm staying," Paul said, though his voice shook ever-so-slightly. The others chimed in with agreement.

"No." Jacob's voice was low and rough. "Get out of here. All of you—go."

"Jake—" Quil began to protest.

Jacob looked up at him, eyes dark and haunted. "Get _out_," he hissed through gritted teeth.

"Come on," Leah said. "We're not doing any good arguing, and we can't be of any help here." She left, and hesitantly, the others followed. Paul glanced back at Niki, whispering something that sounded like, "Tinkerbelle." Then he vanished through the doorway, closing the door softly behind him.

Niki started to shake, slightly at first, then violently. She flinched once, then again, then started flailing. Tears of blood ran from her eyes, red fluid dripping from her ears, nose, and mouth. Blood still pumped from the two puncture wounds at the top of her spine.

"Hold her down," Carlisle said quietly, easily pinning Niki's wrists to the floor. Jacob quickly grabbed her ankles.

She was kicking, her muscles twitching involuntarily, her skin shivering. Her legs twisted and her elbows lifted off the floor and then banged back down. Jacob bit his lip, tears blurring his vision. He was glad. He didn't want to see Niki in such pain.

Then came the screaming.

She had a voice like a banshee, high and piercing, emerging from a tiny throat. Her scream fluctuated, dipping and soaring in pitch, agony clearly present in the sound.

Outside the door, Gracie covered her ears and turned away, burying her face in Edward's chest. He folded his arms around her without hesitation, thinking about how she had screamed nearly the same way during those three days after he bit her. He rocked her from side to side, stroking her hair. At the moment he wasn't concerned about feeling unfaithful to Bella. Gracie needed him.

And that was when he realized that he wanted to be there when Gracie needed him, whenever she needed him. He wanted to be the one to hold her, to comfort her. He wanted to be the one who could tell her everything would be alright.

Lowering his face, he touched his lips softly to her hair. Jasper and Emmett exchanged a look.

Inside, Niki abruptly stopped screaming. Jacob caught his breath. "Is she okay?"

Before Carlisle could reply, Niki whispered, "Jake?"

"Niki!" He instantly swept her up, cradling her like a doll to his chest. He was quickly smeared with blood, but he didn't care. "Niki, are you okay?"

"Jake..." Niki started to cry. "What's going on? Everything hurts..."

The sight of her tears, mixing with the drying blood on her face, tore into his heart. He held her closer. "Niki... it's okay... I'm here, Niki. I'm here."

She clung to him, sobbing. Jacob looked up at Carlisle pleadingly. "Shouldn't we stop the bleeding?"

"No. She's bleeding out the venom. She'll be bleeding very heavily for a while, so don't come out until it gets a bit better, alright? I doubt Nikita would appreciate being drained of blood by Gracie or Jasper right after being rescued." He left.

Jacob paced back and forth, cradling Niki gently, whispering assurances to her. Gradually the bleeding slowed, and with it, the tears.

For the first time, Jacob noticed the dead bodies around him. It made him sick to think that Niki had very nearly joined their ranks. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again," he told her.

"Good," she said, her voice muffled since her face was buried in his chest. Then, attempting a weak stab at humor, she said, "But you do realize that means following me to hell, right?"

"You're not going to hell."

"Oh, yes, I am. Didn't Paul tell you what I did to Bella?"

"He told me." Jacob nuzzled her neck. "I'll plea-bargain with Saint Peter if I have to, but you're not going to hell."

"I don't think you can plea-bargain with the saints."

"I don't think you can go to hell for breaking someone's nose, especially when she deserved it."

"I don't think God lets bad people into heaven."

"I don't think the state of your soul depends on how _nice_ you are."

Niki smiled and buried her face in his hot neck. "I guess we'll find out when I die."

"That isn't going to be soon."

She sighed, still trembling gently. "Can we go home now? I want to go see Mother Wolf." Her nickname for Emily made Jacob chuckle weakly.

"Yeah." He nuzzled her neck again. "But we have to get you out of those bloody clothes—otherwise those bloodsuckers are going to eat you alive."

"Gracie won't eat me. And she'll make sure Jasper doesn't, too."

"Well, sorry, Niki. I still don't trust any of those filthy bloodsuckers."

"You should. Gracie loves me. She's my friend. She would like you, too. She's funny about werewolves. She doesn't mind them. She doesn't even think they smell bad."

Jacob frowned. "Really?"

Niki laughed. "Yeah, really. She could kill me without even meaning to, but that's just because she's not used to being a vampire yet."

Jacob leaned down and kissed her hard on the lips. "Oh, Niki. _Niki. _Why didn't you stay behind like I told you to? I was so worried about you. I'm going to _murder_ Leah for convincing me to let you go."

Niki ignored him, kissing his shoulder and his neck.

"Honestly, though. That has got to be the stupidest thing you have ever done. I'm never letting you come with us again."

"I thought you were never going to let me out of your sight." She reached up and nipped his ear.

"I'll stay with you. The others can go without me. I'll lock you in a steel box and throw away the key."

"I'll starve." She kissed him just beneath the jaw.

"I'll have a slot to give you food. It will need voice identification to open. I'll be the only one who can get to you."

"I'll go on hunger strike."

"I'll go in there and force-feed you."

"But you threw away the key."

"There will be a secret backdoor with fingerprint identification so that only I can open it." Now he was just arguing for the fun of it.

"I'll wait until one of the others comes by and I'll tell them to knock you out and use your fingers to open it."

"It's soundproof."

"That's an interesting box you have there." She smiled. "I'd never escape if you locked me up in there. But if you locked me up, I couldn't do this." She threw her arms around his neck, pulled herself up, and kissed him hotly on the lips. He felt her tongue along his bottom lip and forgot to breathe. His legs went weak but his arms were stronger than ever, pressing her to him.

Gasping, he pulled back, turning his head so that she didn't just attack him again. She grinned. "Hey, you're supposed to kiss me every time I do something stupid and dangerous, right?"

"Hmm. Yeah. Here, come on. We need to get all the blood off you..." He frowned. "Those clothes are beyond saving."

"Oh, you're just trying to get me out of my clothes."

He blushed. "Niki!"

"Kidding, Jake. Is there anything else in here that I could wear? I'm not wearing something that a dead person had."

They both looked around. "Ooh, check that box. I think I see cloth," Niki said. Jacob began to lower her, but she clung to his neck. "No, no! Don't put me down."

Jacob laughed. "Alright, alright." He walked over to the box. "See any clothes?"

"Yeah. They're going to be way too big for me, but it's okay. Lean down a little?"

He did, and she reached out to grab the clothes. "Okay," she said. "Now we have to get Carlisle to fix me before I change—otherwise I'll just bleed all over the new clothes."

"Doctor Cullen!" Jacob called.

Carlisle was inside already. He walked over to Niki, his doctor bag in his hand. "Here. I've got peroxide, anesthesia, and bandages. The others might still be able to smell the blood, however, so try to stay away from most of us. Sit down with your back to me."

Jacob sat on the ground and settled Niki in her lap, facing him. Carlisle ripped the neck of Niki's shirt professionally, examining the puncture marks. Then he got to work.

Niki took every sting and burn silently, staring up into Jacob's dark eyes, clutching his hands until her knuckles were white. Soon Carlisle had done everything he could and he fixed a bandage over the wound with medical tape. "There," he said. "Get dressed and then join us outside. We have much to discuss." He left.

Niki started taking off her shirt. Jacob turned his face, blushing again. "Niki!" He strained away from her.

She paused. "What?"

"I—you—you're undressing!"

"Yeah. So?"

"_Niki!_"

"Uh, Jacob, I've seen _you_ naked, remember? If you want to close your eyes, you can."

He did so quickly, burning with embarrassment and uncomfortable curiosity. He felt Niki crawl off of his lap and heard her shuffling about. Then she, still laughing, said, "I'm dressed."

He opened his eyes and saw her sitting in front of him, fully clothed. The clothes fell around her in vast, baggy folds. With a quick sniff, he decided that she must have scrubbed most of the blood off with her old clothes.

Niki was watching him with a strange gleam in her eye. "What would you have done if I'd been lying?"

"Huh?"

"If you opened your eyes and I wasn't dressed. What would you have done?"

Jacob's eyes widened. "_Niki_!" He covered his face, blushing madly, his mind filled with guilty images.

She laughed. "I know. I'm so bad." Then she frowned suddenly, worried. "Jacob, do you love me?"

"Yes," he said without hesitation.

"Even though I'm bad?"

"You're not."

"Yes, I am, and if you keep denying it I'm just going to think you love who you _think_ I am instead of who I _really_ am. Do you love me even though I'm bad?"

He leaned down and kissed her softly, lingeringly. His hands slid tenderly up her arms. "I love _every_ part of you—the good, the bad, and the naughty."

She smiled. "I love you, too, Jacob."

He grinned crookedly. "Do you know that's the first time you've told me you love me?"

She laughed. "Don't worry. There will be plenty of other opportunities. Come on—Carlisle's waiting for us."

They walked out of the room. Gracie was instantly beside Niki, hugging her tightly around the waist. "I'm so glad you're okay."

"Umm, Carlisle said I was supposed to keep my distance from you vampires until I stopped bleeding..." Niki said nervously.

"It's not that bad for me, actually. Niki, you know, you smell _really _good. You smell like brown sugar and vanilla. I'll bet you taste like a cookie."

"_Gracie!_"

"What? You probably do."

"And I'll bet Jake would _love_ to find out," Leah said dryly, so low that Jacob couldn't hear her. Niki, however, could, and smirked at her friend.

Edward walked over to Niki and Jacob, looking strained. "I would appreciate it," he said stiffly, "if, in the future, you would keep your hormones to yourself."

Jacob stared at him uncomprehendingly for a moment, then began to laugh. "I forgot about your little gift!" he crowed.

Edward gritted his teeth and turned, starting to walk away, humming loudly to block out Jacob's thoughts. Gracie sighed and followed him.

"So what now?" Emmett wondered aloud. "How do we get out of here?"

"_Should_ we is my question," Alice replied. "There are too many question left unanswered, and we might be able to find some hints here. Why was someone trying to kidnap Niki? Why bring her here? What is this place, anyway? Who created it? Who summoned all the demons? Why would they do that? How would kidnapping Niki help?"

"I can answer those for you," said a soft, sweet female voice.

Everyone looked up, startled. A small girl with black hair, a white face, red eyes, and Mexican features stood in the hallway a few feet from them. She had ghosted up without anyone noticing.

Jasper growled, low and menacing. "Maria."

Maria laughed, a high, clear, innocent sound. "Jasper, dear! It's been too long. We really _must_ set aside some time to catch up." She smiled seductively, showing perfect white fangs. "I've missed you _so_ much."

Alice stepped up next to Jasper, snaking her arm around his waist. He put his arm around her shoulders in a clear message.

Maria shrugged, unperturbed. "Another time, then. Now. I believe you had questions?" She smiled cutely.

"Who the hell are you?" Leah demanded rudely.

Maria glanced sharply at her. "A little respect would not go amiss, dog," she snapped. "If you recall, you are currently surrounded on all sides by _my_ warriors." She meant the demons, of course. They would all come running at the snap of her fingers.

Offended by her tone, Quil, Embry, and Jared all stepped up behind Leah, growling softly. Paul took two steps, ending up in front of Leah, and there was nothing soft about _his_ growl. Sam restrained him.

Maria wholly ignored them, eyes traveling from Leah back to Jasper, then on to Carlisle. She smiled. "Carlisle Cullen, I presume? A pleasure to finally meet you. You are something of a legend down south, did you know?"

"I wasn't aware of that," Carlisle said, his tone polite, his eyes cold.

Maria shrugged carelessly, her eyes flickering over the other faces until she came to Niki. There she stopped.

Smiling her vampiric smile, the black-haired girl sighed. "Ah, yes. Nikita Scarlette Shahar. The real belle of the ball. The reason we all gather here today." Her smile widened, showing gleaming white teeth. "I've been looking for _you_ a long time, Nikita."

Niki turned away from her, holding her arms up to Jacob. He picked her up and held her against his chest, never taking his eyes off Maria. Niki wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her arms around his neck.

"What do you want with Niki?" he growled, dark eyes darker with fury.

"Yes, that _is_ the question, isn't it?" Maria said playfully. "Or _is_ it? Maybe the question you should be asking is 'What is Niki, anyway?'."

"Tinkerbelle?" Paul said, confused. "She's _evil,_ that's what she is. She's a little beast."

"Hell child," Leah said at the same time. "Demon spawn."

Niki ignored them both.

Maria chuckled. "Well, you're certainly right to call her a beast. At least, according to our calculations."

Anyone else would have asked what she meant about calling Niki a beast, but something else caught Rosalie's attention. "'Our'? Who else is there, besides you?"

Maria smiled. "There is _that_, isn't there? I suppose Nikita, at least, has a right to know." Turning slightly, she called over her shoulder, "Nathan, dear."

Jacob felt Niki stiffen.

A man appeared suddenly next to her. His dark hair was clipped short, framing his almost delicate face. His skin was white and his eyes were red, showing vampirism.

Nathan smiled charmingly. "Cullens," he greeted with a bow. "Quileutes." He looked Niki and smirked. "Niki."

"I don't wanna look. I don't wanna know. I don't want it to be him." Her voice was muffled by Jacob's shoulder.

"Wait—_him?_" Jacob repeated. "Not Nathan as in—_your brother_?"

Nathan laughed. "So she _did_ tell someone about her tragic past. Hmm. How's mother, Niki?"

"Dead," said Niki, face still buried in Jacob's shoulder. "She committed suicide three years after you... uh... left?"

He laughed again. "I _did_ almost die, by the way, Niki. Just in case you were wondering. I _was_ shot in that gang fight. Thanks to Maria, however, I live to fight another day."

Niki lifted her head. "Good for you!" she yelled without turning to look at him. "Can we get the hell out of here now?"

"Mmm, no, I don't think so." Maria was smiling. "You've only just arrived, you see. And you had questions, didn't you?"

"Yes, we did," Sam said coolly. "If you're going to answer, please do."

"Ask away," she said smugly.

"Why did you kidnap me?!" Niki yelled, still not looking at them.

"Ah, but that's not a good question to start with," Maria told her, wagging her finger. "You must ask the _right_ question."

"Why call Niki a beast?" Esme asked softly.

"Now _there's_ a good question!" Maria laughed jovially. "Because Niki dear is very special."

"Really?" Niki finally turned to look at her. "How?"

"Because you, Nikita Shahar, are the last of the Cherokee werewolves."

Niki snorted. "I'm not a werewolf, lady. Go get your myths and legends sorted out."

Maria grinned, shaking her head. "That's where you're wrong, Nikita. You _are_ a werewolf. The last of the Cherokee stock. The Cherokees were a very special breed of werewolf, you see. Stronger, faster, and much more powerful than any other kind. More than that, though, they were not merely bred to defeat vampires. They were cultured as protectors of humankind from _all_ enemies, including demons. This power, of course, is why we wanted her with us. I did my research, trying to find you. When I met your brother, he told me all about you. I thought you might be it. So I had all of my demons out looking for you. When one of them brought you back, I called them all back here."

"Thus the rush of demons," Edward said thoughtfully.

"But why bring Niki here?" Emmett wanted to know. "What is this place, anyway?"

"A simple dimensional bubble, created with simple magic," Maria said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I had Niki brought here, of course, because I never expected you to be able to get in here. And yet here you are!" She clapped her hands giddily, as if their appearance was simply a pleasant surprise.

"Here's my question," Leah growled. "You called me 'dog' earlier. Did you mean...?"

"Yes, I know you're a werewolf." Maria turned dismissive again. "It's supposed to be a great secret, but anything can be found out with a little research. You see, I stumbled across the Quileute legends while researching the Cherokee werewolves." She smiled. "But none of you has asked the _big_ question yet—the one that must be on all of your minds..."

"What is this all about?" Gracie asked quietly.

Maria giggled, clapping her hands again. "There it is! The big question! It's all about power, my dear girl, power and territory. Conquest. Authority."

"How original," said Rosalie sarcastically.

Maria shrugged, unperturbed. "Many have wished for it and many have gained it. I'm a simple girl, you see, a simple girl with simple pleasures."

Paul snorted.

"And now, of course, since you know the plans and everything... well, now I'll just have to kill you." Maria smiled sweetly. "It just makes me _so_ happy for someone to know my plans. It ups the stakes. Heightens the suspense."

"You always did like a challenge," Jasper said dryly.

"Yes, Jasper. I love a challenge. And _you_... well, you are definitely a challenge."

Emmett and Paul attacked at the same moment. Jacob tightened his arms around Niki, who grumbled, "I _really_ miss my katana."

"I would have picked it up, but I was too busy being dragged around by Gracie."

"Gracie should have gotten it, then!"

"She was too busy dragging me around."

"Hey, Tinkerbelle," called Paul. "Catch!" He tossed her the katana, sheath and all, and went back to fighting.

Niki squealed. "I LOVE YOU, PAUL!"

Jacob looked at her.

"Oh, don't you give me that look, you know what I mean!"

Jacob's eyes widened suddenly, looking over her shoulder. He ducked out of the way just in time as Nathan took a swing at him that would have sent his head flying.

"Put me down, Jacob! I can fight."

"No."

"Put me down!"

"No. You're still too weak from that venom."

"_Jacob_! You need my help! Paul and Gracie won't let anything happen to me."

"Put Tinkerbelle down!" Paul roared. "We need her help!"

"Yeah, let the Hellchild loose," Leah added.

Unwillingly, Jacob allowed Niki to slide out of his arms and dive into the battle.

Maria was tough and experienced. Nathan was fast and strong. They were up against an entire coven of vampires, one extremely powerful newborn, a pack of werewolves designed to kill them, and a psychotic Cherokee with a katana. But the one factor that everyone seemed to have forgotten was the demons.

Maria put her fingers to her lips and whistled shrilly. There was a frozen moment, then a rumble. Hordes of demons began careening around the corner into the hallway.

"Oh, damn it all," Edward hissed. "Gracie, get on my back _now_."

Gracie didn't stop to think about the order. She instantly obeyed, leaping onto his back and kicking a small monkey demon in the face. He took off, weaving between and jumping over demons as needed. Alice and Jasper were right behind him, with Esme closely following. Sam took off after them, with Leah, Jared, Embry, and Quil following suit.

Carlisle held Maria off. "Get out of here!" he yelled at the remainder.

"Emmett, come on!"

"No, Rosie, I have to—"

"Well, I didn't want to do this, but..." Rosalie lifted Emmett bodily and threw him over her shoulder, dashing off after the others.

Niki tugged on Paul's arm. "Come _on_!"

"No! I'm going to fight! I'm not going to run like a chicken!"

"PAUL YOU IDIOT WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! LET'S GO!"

Jacob grabbed Niki's shoulders. "Come on, Niki!"

"No—I have to—Paul—"

"GO, TINKERBELLE! I'LL CATCH UP!"

A cat demon suddenly bounded forward and slammed into Paul, bowling him over.

"DAMN IT, PAUL!"

Jacob was distracted, fighting off a cow-sized bat demon. Carlisle was still stalling Maria. Paul was pinned to the ground by a cat demon.

Out of the blue, Nathan swung up next to Niki. He didn't waste time with chatter, leaning down to lock his teeth into the side of her neck.

Niki screamed piercingly and sliced blindly with her katana. Nathan pulled back from her with a cry of pain, holding the stump where his hand used to be. Niki stared in horror at the stump, which was neither bleeding nor healing. His hand lay twitching on the ground.

"Niki, come _on_." Jacob swooped in to scoop her up. Paul was on his feet again, and Carlisle was dragging him off after the others.

As they all ran, they felt pressure building in their ears. Gracie winced and, pulling her arms off of Edward's neck, placed her hands over her ears; then, reconsidering, she placed them over his, since he was holding on to her legs, which were wrapped around his waist.

"Thanks," he told her. It helped a little.

The pressure continued to build as the coven and the pack ran together, sometimes backtracking when they were met with a wall of demons. Abruptly, the pressure bubbles popped. And they weren't the only thing.

There was a flash of searing white light, and then they were running through the rolling green field. Instantly slowing, they all looked around.

"The dimension bubble... popped?" Alice said in awe.

Rosalie put Emmett down. "_Thank_ you," he said grouchily, straightening his clothes.

Jacob set Niki on her feet and crouched by her. "How do you feel?" he said anxiously.

Niki stared at him in stupefied shock, lifting one hand to touch her neck. "He... bit me."

Jacob's eyes went wide. "He... he... the bloodsucker _bit_ you?"

She nodded. "It stings, but... I thought it was supposed to hurt more than this."

"It is." Carlisle came to kneel beside her. "Let me see."

The bite wasn't even bleeding. It had already faded to a silvery crescent-shaped scar.

Carlisle frowned thoughtfully. "All I can come up with is that maybe your werewolf blood counteracted the venom."

"I still can't believe that," Niki said with a nervous laugh. "Me? A _werewolf_?"

"Great. Just what we needed," Rosalie complained. Emmett elbowed her in the ribs.

Gracie laughed. "One new vampire, one new werewolf. The balance has been restored."

Leah shook her head. "The way you two have been knocking us about? No, I don't think balance will _ever_ be restored to this peaceful little world of bloodsucking vampires and death-dealing werewolves."

"I miss the good old days," sighed Jasper, "when 'peace' meant 'the Union leaves us the hell alone'."

Alice laughed. "Still the Confederate soldier, I see."

"Always will be," he replied smugly.

"Can we _go_ now?" Edward snapped. "I don't want to be in this field any longer than we have to."

"Let's go home," Niki sighed.

* * *

Niki ended up at Jacob's house instead of Emily's. He claimed it was because his was closer, but she had the sneaking suspicion that this was part of his plan to not let her out of his sight.

"So. Where's this box of yours?" she asked dryly as he carried her through the house.

"Hmm, I dunno. I think Billy threw it out." He laid her down on his bed. "Get some rest. You've had a crazy day."

"I've had a crazy _week_."

"That's right. Now go to sleep." He settled into a chair to watch her.

"Aren't you tired too?" She patted the bed next to her invitingly.

"Oh, no. I have a hard enough time protecting my virtue from you as it is."

She sighed dramatically. "And here I thought I was getting somewhere with you. Oh well. You'll crack someday."

"Go to sleep, Niki."

"Hey, um, Jacob? While I'm sleeping will you get me some of _my_ clothes to wear?"

"Nope. I'm not moving an inch while you sleep. When you wake up, we'll go together."

"You really aren't letting me out of your sight, are you?"

"Absolutely not. Now go to sleep."

She sighed and lay back on the bed. "Jacob? You know that I love you, right?"

"I know, Niki. Now shut up and go to sleep."

It didn't take long for her to drift off. Jacob sighed in relief and scooted his chair a little closer to watch her.

"Jacob." Billy's voice came from the door. Jacob turned. Billy rolled into the room in his wheelchair.

"How is she?" Billy asked quietly.

Jacob shrugged. "Tired. She's doing okay for pain."

"Good, good." Billy seemed to hesitate, then asked cautiously, "Did you find anything... odd... about her? On your rescue?"

Jacob frowned. "I found out that the bloodsuckers think she's a werewolf, if that's what you mean."

"Ah. Yes." Billy nodded.

"You knew about that?"

"I had suspicions." Billy rolled right up next to Jacob to look at Niki. "No one will ever be completely sure unless and until she turns sixteen and begins to phase. I do strongly suspect, however."

"What do you know about it?"

Billy sighed. "There are stories and legends about the Cherokee werewolves, of course. The Cherokees were a strong people and, as such, they made strong werewolves. Their Protectors were the greatest and most noble of any of us."

"I have to admit, that doesn't sound like Niki," Jacob commented.

"Hush and listen, Jacob. Since the Cherokees and their kin—like us—were humankind's main defense against leeches and other such creatures, they were also targets. One alliance of bloodsuckers found a virus that would destroy every one of the Cherokee Protectors. They unleashed it on the Protectors, and all of them died. However, at the time, the youngest Protector was not present. She was out on a scouting mission. When she returned and found her pack dead, she knew she would be next. She fled and found refuge in the body of a human child, infusing her soul with that of the child's."

"And that child..." Jacob looked at Niki. "That was Niki?"

"I think so."

"Wow." Jacob watched Niki as she moaned quietly and rolled over. "I wonder if she knows any of this."

"I doubt it."

"I'll tell her when she wakes up."

Billy nodded and quietly rolled out of the room.

* * *

"So, that Indian lady—she's in my _body_ now?"

Niki was riding on Jacob's back as he ran to the place where they had first met. They were going to pick up clothes for her at her house. Niki said that Dane was always drunk out cold at this time of week.

"Yeah, that's what Billy says."

"Wow."

"Yeah, that's what I said."

"At least I served some purpose," Niki mumbled.

Jacob stopped so suddenly that Niki almost flipped over his shoulders. "_What_ did you say?"

"I was a mistake, remember? My parents were both falling-on-the-floor drunk at the time. Neither of them wanted a kid."

Jacob slid her off his back, turned around, and leaned down to kiss her hard. "You are _not _a mistake. You have a purpose. Even if this is it—" he closed his arms around her, "—you've brought me back from the dead. Niki, I _love_ you. You're my _life_. If you'd never been born, right now I'd still be running away from everything that ever happened to me."

Niki stared at him in shock at the passionate words, touched. Her eyes filled with tears that she fought to hold back. "Jake—"

"Shhh." He kissed her again, softly, his lips molding to hers. "I love you, Niki."

She threw her arms around him. When she was sure she could speak without choking on her words, she asked, "Why?"

He held her to him, stroking her hair as he considered the question. "There are a lot of reasons, I think. The way you are. The way I am. The way we met. The choices we make, about ourselves and each other. Maybe even destiny. But, Niki, I think the real reason that I love you is because you need me to... and you will never stop needing me to."

"Never," she whispered, hugging him more tightly.

"Come on." He picked her up gently, bridal style this time. "Let's go get your clothes."

Niki entered the house quietly. When Dane was drunk, World War III could happen under his bed and he wouldn't wake up, but it never hurt to be cautious.

Sneaking past her father's bedroom door, Niki entered her own room. She looked around with distaste. She had never liked this room anyway, and now it brought only dark memories. Shaking her head, she set to work gathering everything she wanted to take with her, wrapping her clothes and shoes in a blanket while she slid her iPod into her pocket. She tossed her favorite book, _The Host_ by Stephanie Meyer, in with her clothes. Grabbing her baby picture—her _only_ baby picture—off her dresser, she folded it in half and shoved it into her pocket.

She was creeping back through the house when the front door slammed. She stopped, confused. _Why did Jacob come in here? He said he was going to wait outside._

Then she heard something shatter, and loud cursing from the front room. Her eyes widened and a foul word slipped from her lips.

That definitely wasn't Jacob.

Dane was home, and he was in a mood to kill.


	5. Relationships

**Chapter Five: Relationships**

Niki started to turn back toward her room, but she was too late. Dane had spotted her.

"YOU FUCKING SLUT!" he screamed. "SO YOU CAME CRAWLING BACK, DID YOU? HARLOT! BITCH! HOW DARE YOU COME INTO MY HOUSE!" He hurled a steel ashtray at the back of her head. It hit her and she went down. She started crawling back toward her own room, vaguely remembering to drag her blanket-full of belongings with her.

He stormed after her. "GET BACK HERE YOU LITTLE MAGGOT! FUCKING BITCH!" He threw something else at her—she didn't know what—and missed.

Niki dragged herself into her room, rolled to her feet, and slammed the door. Locking it, she leaned against it, sobbing so hard that she shook. Dane crashed his fist into the door from the other side, causing it to bounce in the frame. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU, BITCH! DO YOU HEAR ME? I'M GONNA MAKE YOU WISH YOU'D NEVER BEEN BORN!"

"I already do," she whispered, trembling, tears dripping off her chin.

"GET YOUR ASS OUT HERE, WHORE! I'M GONNA FUCK YOU UP REAL BAD, YOU SLUT!" He slammed the door again, probably with his shoulder, and made it jump and shiver. Something near the top splintered. It wasn't going to hold up much longer. "WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU, YOUR BODY WON'T BE WORTH SHIT!"

Niki sobbed harder. "Leave me alone!"

"YOU LITTLE BITCH! HOW DARE YOU!" He slammed the door again. It groaned. Something else cracked. "WHEN I GET INTO THAT DAMN ROOM, YOU'RE FUCKING DEAD!"

_I'm dead,_ Niki thought miserably. _I'm so dead_.

Before she could give in to despair, there was a bone-jarring roar. Dane screamed. The door shook and Niki stumbled back, tripping and landing on her back.

Then there was a long moment of silence. Niki propped herself up on her elbows, eyes huge. Her breath came hard and fast.

The doorknob rattled. Then, something slammed into the door from the other side and it more or less folded inward, snapping out of the frame and spinning across the floor.

Jacob stood in the doorway, dark and powerful, eyes blazing. "Niki?" he growled.

"_Jake!_" Niki scrambled to her feet and fell into his arms. He lifted her up and pressed her to him, his arms folding around her protectively. "Jake, he was going to kill me. _He was going to kill me!_" She was shaking so hard her teeth chattered.

"Shhh," Jacob soothed. "It's okay, Niki. It's okay. He's never going to hurt you again. I've got you, Niki. I've got you. He'll never hurt you again. It's okay."

Niki peeked over his shoulder at Dane's mangled body. "What did you do to him?"

"Hush. Enough to say that the last thing he ever saw was a giant wolf. Don't look, Niki. You've had enough trauma for one day."

Obediently, she buried her face in his shoulder. He paced back and forth, rubbing her back in small circles. "It's okay. It's okay."

"I want to leave," Niki whispered. "I never want to see this place again."

"Okay." He walked down the hall, carrying both Niki and her makeshift bag of belongings. He continued to murmur assurances as they left the house and he walked into the woods. He didn't run, because that would mean having to put Niki on his back and he wasn't sure he could trust her to hang on. He just walked steadily, comforting Niki as well as he could, kissing the top of her head and occasionally her mouth when she lifted her face.

When she had stopped shaking so hard that her teeth rattled, he stopped walking. "Could you hold onto me if I put you on my back?" he asked gently.

"Y-yes."

So he switched her over, and they were off.

* * *

"What do we do? About Maria?" Gracie asked. She was sitting on top of the piano, legs swinging back and forth. Edward sat on the piano bench, his hands on the keys, but he hadn't played a note.

"Nothing," Edward said. "We do nothing. There is nothing we can do until she chooses to show herself again. When that happens, we'll be ready. But until then, we go on with our lives." He looked up at her guiltily. "Except in your case..."

"Oh, stop it," she laughed. "My dad can get along just fine without me. He isn't Charlie. He doesn't need me to baby him all the time."

Edward sighed. "But he misses you."

Her smile grew tender as her eyes took on a faraway cast. "Yeah. He probably does. I miss him, too. My dad and I were always close. He'll be really torn up about me disappearing. But he'll live."

"What is he like?" Edward asked, leaning forward with his elbows propped on the lip of the piano.

"Well, he's very Irish. Hard-headed, laid back. Really funny. He can't say three sentences without cracking a joke." She laughed. "He's also in the Army. I grew up saying 'yes, sir'. My mom was military, too, but she tried really hard _not_ to be when she was around me. She didn't want to be an army mom. She wanted to be a soccer mom. She was always setting up crafts for us to do, taking me to the movies, on picnics. It was kind of nice, but it was ruined by the knowledge that she was trying so hard to be perfect." Gracie frowned briefly. "She failed. She was _always_ trying too hard, trying to give me everything she thought a little girl growing up in America should have. She didn't get that I just wanted her to stop _trying_ so hard and _love_ me." Gracie sighed. "She finally gave up. 'I can't take it anymore,' she said. She'd had enough of trying to be something she wasn't. It drove her almost clinically crazy. She moved out of the house. Dad was crushed."

"Where were you living at the time?"

"Boston, Massachusetts. But like I said, Dad's military. He got re-stationed soon after that. There's a base not too far from here, did you know that? We were supposed to live there, but Dad wanted to give me as much of a normal life as possible. He moved us here, to Forks. He works at the base, though. It's not so bad. When he's gone for a long time, I stay with friends." She paused thoughtfully, then corrected herself. "Stayed."

"When I... when we met, you were rock-climbing."

Gracie laughed. "Dad used to take me climbing in the Appalachians. It was great. Father-daughter bonding time. I always was a daddy's girl."

"You said he was Irish—did he live in the mountains, in Ireland?"

"Yeah. Wicklow." Gracie frowned wistfully. "I'll bet it was beautiful. I've never seen it. I was born right after Mom and Dad came here." She shrugged. "So, yeah. I like the mountains."

He laughed softly. "I would have guessed that. You smell like snow and pine needles."

"What did I taste like?"

He stared at her for a moment, mortified with embarrassment, then looked away. "Mountain air."

She grinned. "Makes sense. So, enough about me. What do _you_ like to do?"

He didn't reply. Instead, he leaned back and put his hands delicately on the piano keys. He hesitated a moment, then began to play.

Gracie listened, her eyes unexpectedly filling with tears. The music was light and silvery, dancing around her in a melancholy way. When Edward finished at last, Gracie's throat was burning.

"That was beautiful," she said softly, feeling inadequate. Beautiful didn't begin to describe that music.

"It's Esme's favorite." Edward closed the piano lid and smiled tremulously. "Well, you did ask what I like to do."

"Do you write your own music?"

"Yes." He sighed. "I've tried to write songs with words, but it never sounds quite right."

"If I write words, could you write music to go with it?"

He looked up in surprise. "Yes, I... I think I could do that."

"Great! Stay right here." Gracie disappeared for a moment, then reappeared holding a sheet of paper. "Here. Can you write music to this?"

He took it and looked at it. _Reminiscence of the Titanic_ was scrawled across the top in Gracie's hand. He read over it, then looked up at her. "Did you write this?"

She nodded, looking anxious. "Do you like it?"

"It's beautiful," he said simply. "Can I borrow this? I'll let you know what I have on it tomorrow."

She nodded eagerly. "Great!"

"I'll get to work on it right now." He rose, still looking at the paper.

"Okay." She watched him as he left the room, then lifted the piano lid. As she trailed her fingers lightly over the keys, her eyes closed and she sighed.

* * *

"Jake? Come lay with me. I'm scared."

"No, you're not."

"Come lay with me anyway."

Jacob sighed. She really _hadn't_ stopped trembling since they'd left her house, he excused to himself. So she needed him. She needed to feel safe.

Climbing into his bed next to her, he felt her pull the covers over them both and then curl into the curve of his body. He slid his arms around her and bent his head over her. "Are you still scared?" he murmured into her ear. She shivered, but not from fear.

"Hold me tighter," she whispered.

He did, feeling her body tighten next to his. "Mmm. You smell good."

"Gracie thinks I probably taste like a cookie."

"She's never going to find out."

"No, but Leah said _you_ might."

"She said _what?!_"

"You heard me. Don't go off on Leah. I've said worse things, in case you don't remember."

He remembered. "Yeah, I know."

Niki smiled discreetly. "I'll get you someday, when you're least expecting it."

He was silent for a long moment, stroking her hair slowly. At last he said, so quietly she almost didn't hear, "You can have me now if you want me."

Niki went cold. She hadn't really been expecting him to capitulate. Trying to make a joke out of it, she complained, "Well, where's the challenge in that?"

"Is that challenge that important?"

Hearing the honest question in his voice, Niki decided to answer seriously. "No, Jake. The challenge isn't important. It isn't that I don't want you either. I do want you." She sighed longingly. "Oh, do I _ever_. But..." She was quiet for a moment, frowning as she tried to phrase her thoughts. "Losing your virginity isn't something to be taken lightly. If anyone knows that, it's me. Jacob, we're both werewolves. We can choose to never age. If we don't do this right, we'll have all of eternity to regret it."

"You're right." He kissed her softly on the lips, running his tongue along her full bottom lip. "I love you, Niki. I know we're both kind of young, but... as soon as it's legal... will you marry me?"

She started laughing.

"Um, Niki, I'm trying to propose here. You're not supposed to laugh."

"No, no! Jacob, I'd love to marry you! I'll marry you! It's just—the way you said it—" She laughed harder. " 'As soon as it's legal'..."

He looked confused, then he started laughing, too. "You're right. That sounded kind of ridiculous. But, you know, I'm sixteen, you're fifteen..."

"Sixteen tomorrow."

"What?"

"You just reminded me. I'm sixteen tomorrow." Her face was utterly serious, so he didn't think she was joking, but how could anyone be so nonchalant about their sixteenth birthday?

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yeah. So what?"

"Why are you so calm about this?"

"...why shouldn't I be?"

"You're turning sixteen!"

"I repeat: so what?"

"_Niki_! Haven't you ever celebrated your birthday?"

She looked at him blankly. "No. Why would I?"

"It's the anniversary of the day you were born!"

"All the more reason _not_ to celebrate it. It's the anniversary of a horrible accident."

"Niki! Don't _say_ that!"

"Why not? It's true."

He kissed her hard. "You might have been an accident, but you're also the best thing that ever happened to me." He kissed her again. "Don't _ever _say that again, okay?"

"Oh... kay?"

"Give me your word."

She snuggled into his chest. "I promise, Jake."

"Do you keep your promises, Niki?"

"It depends on the promise."

"Will you keep _this_ promise?"

"I don't know, Jake. I'll probably slip up and end up saying it anyway. It's kind of been ground into me. When you're told day after day for fifteen years that you were an unwanted surprise and you should never have been born, you start to believe it."

Jacob kissed her forehead softly, tenderly, his lips traveling down her face to her mouth. "It's okay, Niki. I'll just have to repair the damage. I'll tell you day after day for another fifteen years that you're amazing. You're wonderful. You're _loved_. You're the best thing that ever happened to me. Maybe, after a while, you'll start to believe it."

"Maybe," Niki said softly. "Jake... as long as we're 'repairing damage', there's something you should know."

"What?"

"I have a lot of... baggage. A lot of things that I've been dragging around for years. A lot of regrets. A lot of things that haunt me." She looked so forlorn, so troubled. She was beyond his reach right now, in a dark corner of her mind where the terrible memories slept. "If things are going to work out between us... you'll have to know everything. _Everything_. You'll have to take on all my burdens. All of the fire will spill over onto you, Jake, and believe me, you _will _be burned."

"I'll take it," he promised. "I would take all of your pain onto me if it meant it would stop you from hurting."

"No, Jake." She cupped his cheek. "I don't want you to hurt. All I'm saying is that, before we get in too deep, I'll have to lay bare my soul. After that, I'm not sure you'd _want_ to go deeper. But it has to happen before we get in so deep we can't get out."

"I'll still love you."

"We'll see. But, Jacob, I don't want to talk about that right now. Right now, just hold me."

He buried his face in her neck. "Always."

* * *

Alice, sitting in the main room with the others, suddenly stiffened, eyes going wide. The conversations going on around her petered off as they noticed her state, tensing to wait for her announcement.

When the vision ended, Alice frowned thoughtfully. "Hmm."

"What did you see?" Emmett demanded.

"It was strange. We were throwing a party. Niki came, and Jacob, too. I don't know why, though." Her frown deepened. "Is there some kind of occasion going on that I don't know about?"

Everyone shook their heads or murmured negatives.

"If Niki came, maybe it had something to do with her," suggested Gracie, perched on the arm of the couch beside Edward.

"Maybe we were celebrating her being alive," Rosalie murmured. Rosalie had a genuine, although perhaps distant, liking of the mischievous Niki.

"Does it matter?" Jasper asked Alice. "You're going to throw a party anyway."

"Yep," Alice said gleefully. "We'll have it set up by tomorrow." Then she turned to look at Gracie. "Since you're closer to Niki than any of us, _you_ invite her over tomorrow."

"Will do," Gracie said cheerfully, trying to distract herself from Edward's cool presence by her side.

"Then we're all agreed," Alice said, satisfied, leaning back into the couch.

Later that night, Gracie was sitting on her bed, staring out the window and marveling over the fact that she felt no need for sleep. There was a soft knock on her door.

She glanced up, startled. "Hello?"

"Gracie, it's Edward. May I come in?"

"Oh—yeah, of course."

He opened the door, stepping delicately over her floor and stopping at her side. "I finished the song," he said softly.

She looked up at him in surprise. "So soon?"

"I've been thinking about it all day. Come on—I'll play it for you."

"Won't we wake someone up?" She saw the look on his face and smiled sheepishly. "Oops. I forgot again."

"Come on," he said again, taking her hand in his and tugging. She quickly rose and followed him downstairs.

He sat down at the piano and lifted the lid. Giving her one shy look, he began to play, reading off of a sheet written in his own hand.

As the music began—heartbreaking, filled with light notes and deep undertones—Gracie saw that he had not only written music for the piano; he had also written the melody for singing the words. Starting out soft, her voice barely detectable, she began to sing.

Jasper heard from his room and, curious, came out to find the source. He stopped in the doorway and watched as Gracie stood by Edward, one hand on his shoulder, singing her heart out.

"..._maiden voyage_..."

Alice had soon joined him. They exchanged looks, Alice with one eyebrow raised. That girl could _sing_.

Emmett appeared at Jasper's shoulder. "Wow," he said softly. Alice shushed him. Rosalie, having followed Emmett, stopped in the doorway with the others. Neither Edward nor Gracie noticed their growing audience.

"..._echoes of laughter_..."

Carlisle came, and just a while later, Esme appeared with tousled hair.

"_All they will find is an ember_..."

Esme leaned against Carlisle, who snaked an arm around her shoulders. Alice tilted her head to one side, cocking her ear to better hear the music. Rosalie sighed.

"..._Titanic_." Gracie finished singing as the last note lingered. She gave a long, contented sigh and allowed her hand to slide off Edward's shoulder.

Alice squealed. Gracie's head jerked up. When she saw that she'd had an audience, a slow blush tinged her cheeks. She turned away, closing her eyes and biting her lip. Alice bounced up to her.

"Gracie, that was _amazing!_"

"Edward wrote the music," Gracie mumbled.

"But your voice! _Your voice!_"

Gracie chewed her lip. "Thanks," she whispered awkwardly.

Emmett, drifting over, smiled. "Aww. Gracie doesn't know how to take a compliment."

"Shut up, Emmett," Gracie mumbled, cheeks still burning.

Rosalie was leaning over the piano by Edward, reading the music with a slight frown. "Did you write this?" she asked him.

"The music, not the song."

"The song was Gracie's?"

"She wrote it, yes."

Rosalie ghosted over to Gracie. "You know that we were there, when the Titanic sank?"

Gracie looked at her, startled. "I—no, I didn't."

"Well, not _there_, exactly. But we were all alive at the time." Rosalie looked at her. "It was very well written. Very... realistic."

"Oh." Gracie blushed harder. "Thank you."

Edward rose fluidly and started to leave. Gracie gave him a pleading look, as though to say, "Come rescue me!"

"Gracie," he said, "may I have a word?"

"Of course." Happy to escape the doting Cullens, Gracie followed him out of the room.

Once they were out of earshot, Gracie turned to Edward with a wry grin. "Did you have something to say or was that just a rescue tactic?"

He shrugged. "Rescue tactic. You _do_ have a nice voice, though."

"Oh, not you, too!" She threw her head back in frustration. "Emmett didn't know how right he was when he said I didn't know how to take a compliment."

He chuckled. "Then don't worry about it."

"_Thank_ you."

He seemed about to say something, but when he did, it didn't seem to be what he wanted to say originally. "Do you have any other songs I could write music for?"

"Actually, yes..." She took his hand and started pulling him along. "I'll show you."

* * *

As Niki slowly drifted out of sleep, the first thing she noticed was the smell of the forest. She sniffed again, trying to pick out the different smells. Sunlight; fresh rainfall; damp trees. She opened her eyes.

"Mmm... Jacob?"

"Huh? Wuzza? What?" He blinked and looked down at her. "Oh. Good morning."

"Mornings aren't good."

"Not a morning person?"

"Nope. I'm going back to sleep."

Then there was a knock on the window. Niki sat up, glaring toward the window, running her fingers through her tousled hair. Then her eyes widened and she gasped, throwing the covers off and flying to the window. "Gracie!"

Gracie was crouching at the window, smiling warmly. Niki threw open the window and Gracie sprang inside, landing lightly on her feet. "Good morning, Niki. Good morning, Jacob."

"I'll say it again," Niki said grouchily. "_Mornings aren't good_!"

Gracie looked at Jacob. "Not a morning person, is she?"

He shook his head mutely.

"Well, you're going to have to get over that today," Gracie informed Niki. "You've been invited over to the Cullens'."

"No," Jacob snarled, at the same time as Niki whined, "Let me sleep!"

"Come on, Niki," Gracie sighed. "They're not going to pick on you just because you're a werewolf."

"Jake won't let me out of my box."

"She's not going!"

"There'll be food," Gracie said temptingly. "The rest of the pack is invited, too, and if you want to go ahead and invite someone else, that's fine."

"_No_," Jacob said firmly.

Gracie glanced at him. "We're not going to hurt her, Jacob."

"No!"

Gracie drew herself up to her full five-feet-six-and-a-half-inches, which looked pitiful next to Jacob's six-feet-seven-inches. Her face, however, was anything but pitiful. She was calm, collected, and totally in control.

"Jacob Black," she said quietly. "We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. You are completely welcome to escort Niki to the Cullens' and enforce any security measures that you feel necessary. If you refuse, Alice and I will _kidnap_ Niki without being able to guarantee her safety or her continued mortality."

Jacob growled, eyes glowing with black fire. "_Over my dead body!_"

"Very well. This has resulted from your own choice, then." Before anyone could react, Gracie scooped Niki up and hopped out the window, taking off running as soon as she hit the ground.

With a roar of anger, Jacob dove out the window after her. He glanced around, trying to figure out which way they had gone. He followed their scent around the front of the house, then stopped, confused. The scent went right in the front door and up the stairs.

Following it slowly, Jacob went right back up to his room. He found the girls in there, Niki strapping on her five-inch spike heels, Grace comparing a red tank top and a black tube top.

Jacob stopped in the door, utterly confused. The girls looked up and smiled at him. "Oh, good, Jacob," Gracie said. "Come here a minute, would you? Which do you think would look better on Niki—the red or the black?"

"Why run away and then just come back here?" Jacob asked stupidly.

Niki leaned toward him and said, in a stage whisper, "I felt exposed."

"She was still in her nightclothes," Gracie explained, "and I wasn't taking her to the Cullens' like that. She wasn't going like that, either. She said she needed her heels."

Niki stood up on her five-inch spike heels and threw her hands exultantly into the air. "I'M AVERAGE HEIGHT!"

"Joy," Gracie said dryly. "Choose your poison, Niki. Black or red?"

"_Definitely_ black," said Niki, reaching for the tube top. "Jacob, get out. I need to get dressed."

"Then I'm going to do her makeup, and you'd just be in the way for that," Gracie added.

"No makeup," Niki snapped.

"Hmm. How about just mascara and foundation?"

"_Not _foundation."

"Eyeliner?"

"You've got yourself a deal."

Jacob quickly left, shutting the door. He didn't need to hear this.

An hour and a half later, the girls walked out. Niki, in her spike heels, was the same height as Gracie. Her hair was swept forward and her eyes were done in dark makeup. She wore a leather jacket over her black tube top and a pair of tight black dress slacks. Two rings sparkled on her fingers. Her iPod was in her pocket, the earphone cord trailing up to her ears.

"What took so long?" Jacob snapped.

Gracie shrugged. "We're girls, remember? After she got dressed, I had to straighten her hair and do her makeup. Then something was wrong with one of her shoes and while I was trying to fix it, she smudged her mascara. So I had to redo her makeup, and then she couldn't find her iPod..."

"You know what?" Jacob said, hands up in surrender. "Forget I asked."

Gracie smiled. "Don't worry. I will."

Jacob looked Niki up and down. Noticing his scrutiny, she popped one earphone out of her ear and snapped, "What are you looking at?"

"You," he said softly. "You're beautiful."

She mellowed a little. "Thanks."

"Come _on_," Gracie said, already halfway down the stairs. "We're gonna be late!"

* * *

Alice opened the door. "I foresaw your approach," she said ominously.

Niki pulled her earphone out. "What? I didn't hear you."

"Nothing. Are the other wolves coming?" She let them inside.

"Yeah, but they lagged behind." Niki glanced around, taking in the nightclub atmosphere—darkened room, flashing strobe lights, pumping music. Deciding that she didn't need the iPod, she pulled the other earphone out and shoved them into her pocket. "What are we celebrating?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." Alice had to raise her voice over the music.

"Niki's sixteen today," Jacob yelled, pointing at Niki.

"Oh. That must be it."

Then the others started arriving—not just pack members, but Billy, Emily, and Kim, too. Niki felt oddly safe with so many familiar faces around, although it was obvious that the pack and the Cullens were not enjoying each others' company much. Aside from Niki herself, only Gracie was comfortable with both, flitting between Emmett and Leah, Quil and Esme. She chatted with everyone. After a while she disappeared, but by then, the tense atmosphere had relaxed a bit.

There was food, just as Gracie had promised. The Cullens didn't touch it, of course, but the werewolves—always ravenous—dug in with great relish. Niki complained that it was still too early for food—she wouldn't eat until at least ten-thirty. Jared was dancing with Kim, and soon Niki convinced Jacob to come with her and join them.

Paul hadn't actually run into Niki until then. "Tinkerbelle!" he shouted over the music. "You grew!"

Niki gave him a look. "Yeah, Paul. I grew five inches overnight."

"You did?"

"No, you goof! I'm wearing five inch spike heels!"

"Oh. Hey, Jake, can I cut in?"

Jacob glared at him, but surrendered Niki to her surrogate older brother.

Meanwhile, Edward had pulled Gracie out of the room. "I need to talk to you," he told her. His cheeks were filled with rare color, and she wondered why he was embarrassed.

"Sure," she said, confused. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. I just need to talk to you." He drew her into the kitchen, which was only there for show, of course.

Gracie hopped onto the counter and sat there, swinging her legs as she waited patiently. Edward paced back and forth, trying to find the right words to say what he wanted to.

At last he turned and looked at her directly. "You know I was in love with Bella."

She kept her face blank, although her heart jumped when he said _was_. "I know."

He started pacing again. "The whole time I was with her... well, she loved me, I think. But she also loved Jacob Black."

"Jacob?" Gracie repeated in confusion. "He's with Niki."

"I know. But you don't understand. Niki only came into his life around the same time you came into mine. Before that happened, Jacob was all hung up on Bella." Edward bit his lip and turned around to look at Gracie again. "Then Niki came, and Jacob imprinted. Suddenly Bella decides that she wants him back." He started pacing again. "She tried to turn Jacob against Niki."

"She did _what_ now?"

He stopped and looked at her. "Don't do anything stupid, Alice handled it. And don't tell Niki. She'll kill her and be wanted for homicide."

"Yeah... that wouldn't be good." Gracie frowned. "But you were talking about Bella."

"Well... yes." He was pacing again. "When Bella talked to Jacob, she thought they were alone. She didn't know I was listening."

Gracie was beginning to see what the big deal was. "Oh," she said, letting out a soft breath.

Edward bit his lip and nodded. "You see my point. Alice wasn't happy when she found out. She sent Bella home."

"So _that's_ where she went."

"Right. Bella doesn't love me as much as I thought she did. And..." He stopped pacing again but wouldn't look at her. "I... don't love Bella as much as I thought I did. In fact, maybe not at all." He started pacing again.

"Edward, Edward..." Gracie hopped off the counter and caught him by the shoulders, planting him in place. "Stop pacing. You're driving me crazy. Now, you were saying?" She looked up into his eyes and paused.

Edward sighed. "I'm not going to try and explain any more." Leaning down, he kissed her.

Gracie froze in shock, but when he tried to draw away, she wouldn't let him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cupped the back of his head, pulling him in further. He tasted like cinnamon, she decided. His lips pressed hard against hers, and his hands slid around and rested on the small of her back.

When their lips finally parted, Gracie giggled. "I'm not just a consolation prize, right?"

"Never," Edward whispered, kissing her throat softly.

Just then, Niki walked in. Edward and Gracie sprang apart quickly. Glancing around, Niki said, "Hey, this isn't the bathroom..." She spotted Edward and Gracie standing a few feet apart, looking guilty. She looked confused for a moment, then a slow, evil grin spread over her face. "Hey. I thought this was _my_ party."

Gracie shrugged. "It's a free country."

"Mm-hm. I don't even _want_ to know what you were doing before I walked in. Hey, where's the bathroom? I've _got_ to get rid of these heels. Hurry up and tell me before Jacob comes in here looking for me."

Edward directed her to the bathroom and she disappeared. He and Gracie looked at each other.

"Well," Gracie said. "That was interesting."

"Very," he agreed.

"Was that..." she began, then hesitated. "Was it... what you were expecting?"

"Not even close," he informed her. "I expected sparks, not lightning."

"Oh. Good to know."

He placed one hand on the small of her back and pulled her to him again. "I was telling the truth before," he told her. "You really do taste like the mountains."

She laughed and put her arms around his neck.

* * *

"So, Paul..."

Niki and Paul were back in La Push, eating cookies at Emily's. The party was still going on, but Niki had escaped with Paul in tow.

"Since you didn't get me a present," Niki continued, "maybe you could do me a favor instead."

"What kind of favor?"

"Promise me you'll do it. You owe me."

"Fine, fine. I promise. What do you want?"

Niki grinned. "Well, there was this little place downtown..."

* * *

"I can't believe I'm letting you do this!"

"You owed me," Niki reminded him, waiting patiently as the professional piercer heated up a sterilized needle. "Besides, it's just a few new ear piercings. I don't know what the big deal is." The needle poked into her ear.

Paul fainted.

Niki's new piercings were exotic. One was the regular earlobe piercing. One was a double piercing from the tip of her ear to the outer edge, connected by a bar decorated with rhinestones. Her delta was also pierced. The inner cartilage had a small hole with a stud through it. Her nose had a small diamond stud pierced into it.

* * *

"Jacob is going to murder you!"

"No, Paul, he's going to murder _you_. You were supposed to be watching me, remember?" She grinned, eyes glittering. "But don't worry. I'll protect you."

They were now at the tattoo parlor. Niki had customized her own tattoo, with Jacob's name in black spiked letters, the ink flaring out at the ends into intricate designs. She was having it done at the base of her spine.

"So, Paul," Niki said casually as the needle jabbed the small of her back. "What tattoo are you getting?"

A loud _thunk_ was heard. She grinned in satisfaction.

When they got back to Emily's house, they found Alice there, waiting for them.

The black-haired vampire smirked when she saw Niki's new look. "I _like_."

Niki grinned. "Me, too. So what's up?"

"You ran off before I could give you my present." Alice held out a card to her.

"Uh-oh," Paul muttered.

Niki ignored him, reaching for the card. She examined it. "It's a fake ID," she said, bemused. She looked up at Alice. "It says I'm twenty one."

Alice tilted her head with a smile. "We're going out tonight—you, me, and one friend of your choosing."

"Leah," Niki said immediately, without having to think about it.

"Good. Go get her."

* * *

Niki, in her miniskirt and strappy heels—not the five-inch spikes—followed Alice into the bar, _The Leprechaun_. "Irish people make the best drinks," Alice had told her.

The bartender was more than friendly to the three beautiful girls who walked into his bar. Each of their first drinks was on the house.

After thirty-seven chocolate martinis, twenty-three shots, and one fishbowl between them, Leah was unconscious. Niki was giggling so hard her ribs hurt, unable to speak for giggle fits. Alice—who had drunk eighteen of the thirty-seven chocolate martinis, nine of the twenty-three shots, and half of the fishbowl—was still stone cold sober.

Alice checked her watch. "It's getting late. Or early, depending on how you look at it. We'd better get you two home." Standing up, she reached down and grabbed Leah, slinging her over her shoulder. Then she hauled Niki to her feet. "Come on, you. We're heading back."

Alice dropped Niki off on Jacob's doorstep, then left to drop Leah off at home. Niki struggled with the doorknob for a moment, then opened the door and fell inside. She stumbled straight into Jacob, who supported her as he shut the door and then guided her over to the couch.

Bending over her until their faces almost touched, Jacob spoke in a low, dangerous growl, emphasizing every word. "Where... have... you... been?"

Niki stared up at him with wide eyes. "Jacob?" she asked, her voice slurring.

"Yes."

"Jacob?"

"_Yes_."

"Oh my God... Jacob..."

"What?"

"Oh my God! Jacob, there's a monkey on your head!"

Jacob pulled back, frowning. He could have smelled the alcohol in her breath from a mile away. "Niki, who took you to get drunk?"

"Don't worry, Jake, I'll get it for you." She slipped off her strappy heel and threw it at his head. He barely ducked in time.

"HAH!" she yelled. "Got it! Oh my God, Jacob, it's still alive! Kill it!"

"Niki... there's no monkey."

"Yes there is! What the hell, Jake?! Are you blind?! It's RIGHT THERE!"

Jacob turned around to look, then turned back. Niki was unconscious.

Sighing, Jacob scooped her up and took her upstairs.

* * *

Niki groaned. It felt like there was someone inside her head, pounding on it with a hammer. She opened her eyes and then instantly squinted. "Gah... damn light... I need Ibuprofen..."

Jacob was there, silently handing her some Advil and a glass of water. "Where were you last night?" he said softly, conscious of her horrible hangover.

"GAH... damn it, Jake! Stop screaming at me!" Niki rolled out of bed and crawled all the way to the bathroom to throw up in the toilet.

Jacob crouched over her, rubbing her back and holding her hair out of her face. "Where were you?" he murmured into her ear.

"I went to the piercing studio... then the tattoo parlor..." she croaked, the threw up again.

"I see that. Who were you with?"

"Paul."

"And after that? When did you get drunk?"

"I wasn't with Paul anymore. I was... with..." Niki narrowed her eyes, trying to remember who had been with her. "Leah. And Alice." She vomited.

"_Alice_? Alice _Cullen_?"

"Yeah. We went to a bar. I don't even remember what bar. All I remember I was chocolate martinis don't settle well with half a fishbowl. And Alice doesn't get drunk easily."

"Let me get this straight. You ran away from the party with Paul, pierced both ears multiple times, pierced your _nose_, got _another_ tattoo, and then ran off with Leah and a vampire to get drunk."

"Sounds about right."

"I'm going to _kill_ you. And all of them!"

Niki turned and clung to him. "You can go on a killing spree later. Right now, just hold me and make me feel better. My head still hurts."

Jacob sighed and pulled her into his lap. "You need to brush your teeth."

"In a minute. Hold me."

He sighed again.

"Hey Jacob—you haven't seen my tattoo yet."

"Nope."

"Pull my shirt up and _look._"

Jacob lifted her shirt and choked.

"You like it?"

"You got my name tattooed on your back?"

"Yep. You like it?"

Jacob started laughing. "Niki, you know it's impossible to stay mad at you."

"I know. So, you like it?"

* * *

A couple of days later, Jacob had to run watch with Sam. He put Quil in charge of babysitting Niki. Quil didn't seem to think that Niki needed a babysitter, however. Instead, he seemed convinced that it was his job to keep her entertained and make sure she didn't get bored.

Niki was lolling on Billy's couch, missing Jacob. Even when he just went on runs like this, she missed him and wanted him back. Quil was sitting on the couch with her, leaning awkwardly against the armrest, trying to come to terms with his newly gangly frame.

"Do you want to go do something?"

"Like _what_?" Niki demanded. "Nothing is fun. The whole world is boring!"

"I could take you cliff diving," Quil offered. "I heard that you threatened to start."

Niki sat up so fast she almost fell off the couch. "Quil," she breathed, "you're a _genius!_" She threw her arms around him. "I love you forever!"

He laughed, unlatching her. "Yeah, but don't tell Jacob that."

"Oh, he knows what I mean. Can we go right now?"

"Are you going to swim in that?" Quil nodded to her shorts and tank top.

Niki shrugged. "Why not? I want to go. Right now."

"Okay, then."

Niki stood at the top of the tallest cliff, looking down into the dark water. Quil was standing next to her.

"Are you scared?" he asked.

"No," she replied flatly.

"Good. Jump." After he spoke, he took a flying leap and dove over the edge of the cliff. She watched as it took several seconds for him to finally splash down. She waited until his head popped up before taking a couple of steps back, then doing a running dive off the cliff.

For a few moments, she felt an unbelievable freedom. Then she hit the water and felt impaired. She floated for a moment, then kicked her feet and swam for the surface.

She came up laughing. "Again," she gasped. "Let's do it again!"

They had done it about six times when Niki, reaching the top cliff again, found Jacob waiting for her.

He stared down at her, his face unreadable. "Come on," he said stiffly. "We're going home."

"Not yet," she teased. "You have to kiss me every time I do something stupid and dangerous, remember?"

He frowned, then leaned down to kiss her swiftly on the lips. He pulled away before she even had a chance to kiss back. "Come on."

He was shocked to see her eyes looking uncertain, even a little frightened. "Jacob," she whispered, "are you mad at me?"

His face crumpled. "_No,_ Niki." He swept her up and kissed her long and hard, trailing his tongue along her bottom lip. "I'm not mad at you," he said when he finally let her go. "I could _never _be mad at you. I was _scared_, Niki. I was _worried_ about you."

She leaned against him, laying her head on his chest and not caring that she was getting him wet. "You promise you'll never get mad at me?"

"I promise."

Quil came panting up the ridge. "_Damn_ it, Niki! You run _way_ too fast..." He stopped when he saw Jacob. "Oops."

"Now _you, _I can get mad at." Jacob was at Quil's side before he could run. Picking his friend up bodily, he threw him off the cliff into the water. When he turned around, Niki was right in front of him.

"I love you, Jake," she said sweetly, right before pushing him off the cliff.

She watched him fall, then shrugged. "Oh, what the hell." She jumped after him.

She came up laughing again, and Jacob swept her into his arms. He nuzzled her neck. "You're an idiot, Niki," he said, kissing her forehead.

"You're an overprotective bastard, Jake."

"I know, Niki. I know."


	6. Confessions

**Chapter Six: Confessions**

"So, why do you think you're so different?"

Gracie was sitting on top of the piano again, not paying attention, as Edward played simple songs. She blinked in surprise when she realized that he had stopped playing a long time ago and had just asked her a question. "Oh, I'm sorry, Edward. What did you say?"

"Why do you think you're different?" he repeated. "Why do you think you're immune to Alice's, Jasper's, and my gifts? Why do you think you have so much of an easier time resisting the call of blood than we do?"

Gracie shrugged. "Daddy always told me I had Irish magic. He said it would sometimes help me and it would sometimes bite me in the butt. I think it bit me in the butt when I was in my first week as a vampire and Jasper couldn't use his power to calm me down."

Edward laughed softly. "Irish magic?"

"Yeah. Ireland is supposed to be one of the most magical places on Earth. I've never actually been there, but Dad says I have a Celtic soul."

"Hmm. Interesting. So if anything strange happens while you're around, I should blame it on your soul?"

"Sure, why not?"

Edward looked away, his face closing. Gracie tilted her head and frowned, perplexed. "Edward? What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he mumbled. "Just don't expect anything else to happen because of your soul."

"Why not? What are you talking about?"

He didn't answer and started to slowly play piano again. Gracie's frown deepened and she slid off the piano and walked over to sit next to Edward. She rested one hand on his shoulder and he stopped. "Edward, what are you talking about?" she asked softly.

Still refusing to look at her, Edward whispered, "Vampires don't have souls."

Even more confused, Gracie tightened her hand on his shoulder. "Wait... you think I don't have a soul?"

He nodded. "Vampires don't have souls," he repeated.

"So you think I don't have a soul. You think you took my soul from me by turning me into a vampire?"

Still looking away, he closed his eyes and nodded slowly.

"Edward."

He didn't respond. She didn't even think he was breathing.

"Edward, look at me, please."

He bit his lip, shoulders hunched up around his ears.

"Edward." Dropping her hand from his shoulder, she wound it around his waist instead. "Look at me." It was a command this time. He looked at her, and she reached up to lay her free hand on his cool cheek. "It's the soul that appreciates beauty," she said softly. "It's the soul that reaches out to others. It's the soul that can create things—like music." She gestured to the piano. "It's the soul that feels. It's the soul that _loves_." She leaned up to kiss his lips softly, tenderly.

He tried to look away but he couldn't. All he could do was bite his lip and attempt to control the burning sensation in the back of his throat.

"I have a soul, Edward." She kissed him again, longer this time. "So do you." She reached up and pulled his head down to rest on her shoulder. Stroking his hair, she kissed him on the ear. "And once more I'll say it; Edward, you've _got_ to stop blaming yourself for... _that_. It was an accident, and hardly something you could have foreseen or controlled. And even besides all that, I'm not sorry that you did it. I don't regret it—why should you?"

He slid his arms around her waist, allowing his eyes to close. Gracie felt him relaxing, his lips moving softly against her neck. She tilted her head downward a little so that she could press her lips to the soft vein just below his ear. He kissed her throat; then, hesitantly, he trailed his fangs over her neck. She continued to stroke his hair, completely calm. He hesitated again, unsure.

"Edward," Gracie said in laughing reproach. She didn't want him to hesitate.

He touched his fangs to the vein running from behind her ear, then slowly sank in. Her blood was cool and tasted like new-fallen snow and pine needles.

Gracie rested her arms around him. After a few moments Edward pulled free, licking the blood off her neck. The puncture had already sealed up, showing as nothing but a crescent-shaped silver scar.

"You don't have to feel guilty anymore," she told him gently.

It was like a weight fell off of his shoulders. He sat up straight and pulled her closer to him, almost into his lap. Kissing her hair, Edward said mischievously, "Now it's your turn." He held his wrist up.

Without hesitating, Gracie settled back against his chest and pulled his wrist to her lips. Carefully, she bit into the flesh of his arm. He shivered, his fingers stroking her back lightly. She caressed his skin with her tongue for a moment, then lifted her fangs out of the puncture and watched it seal, licking her lips.

He wrapped his arms around her again. "What do I taste like?" he asked teasingly.

"Cinnamon." She traced the crescent scar on his wrist with her thumb. "I'll bet if I put your blood together with Niki's it would taste like a snickerdoodle. She smells like brown sugar and vanilla."

"I'd much rather mix my blood with yours," he told her impishly.

"Snowy mountain cinnamon," Gracie said thoughtfully. "Cinnamon snow mountain. Snowy cinnamon mountain. Mountain of cinnamon snow." She giggled.

Edward laughed and pulled her closer. "Gracie, you need to stop sniffing bad things."

"Edward! I do not take drugs! I create my own high."

"Are you sure it wasn't my cinnamon blood?"

"Hmm... good point. You could make millions off that stuff, you know. There's a new drug on the black market. Vampire blood! We'll make a killing."

"I don't know if it would taste as good to anyone else as it does to you."

She giggled and leaned back against him, turning to rest her cheek on his cool chest. "We should get Alice to bite you and see what she thinks."

"Jasper wouldn't be happy about that. Besides, I don't want to feel anyone's lips on my skin except yours."

"Aww, Edward. You're such a suck-up."

He laughed. "I might be a suck-up, but you're a goody-good."

Gracie pretended to gasp. "Flatterer!"

"_Saint_!"

"Oh, you did _not_ just go there."

"Oh yeah—I went there."

Gracie turned, sat up on her knees, braced herself against his chest, and leaned up to kiss him. She parted his lips beneath hers, her tongue tracing over the inside of his mouth. Biting down delicately on his bottom lip, her fangs drew blood. He shivered and moaned, his eyes sliding closed. Her hands wandered down to press on the small of his back.

When she drew back, he was gasping for breath—force of habit. She grinned. "Now, was that the kiss of a saint?"

"Oh, to see how an angel has fallen..." He leaned in for another kiss.

* * *

"Jacob, it's time to have a talk," Niki announced.

Jacob looked up in surprise. "About what?"

"Baggage," she said firmly, and he understood instantly. He rose and followed her to his room.

Shutting the door gently, Niki pointed to the bed. "Sit down." When he obeyed, she perched on the chair, looking anywhere except at him.

"Where to start," she sighed. "Ah. I know. Well, obviously, I was an accident. I was also born while my mother was addicted to crack, so I was arrived a crack addict. She didn't take me to a doctor until it was almost too late—I was going into withdrawal. After that, Mom tried really hard to stay off the crack. She didn't really have any money for it, anyway, so things were a little better. My brother was almost never home at the time—he was in a gang, and he mostly stayed away. He said it was because he didn't want us getting hurt, but that's a load of fluff and applesauce. He just didn't want to be around us. I don't really blame him. I didn't want to be around us, either. When he died—or, supposedly died—I hardly even noticed.

"We lived like that for a long time—barely scraping together enough money for two meals a day. I never even knew my father, until one day Mom took me to his house. She handed me over to him and, next thing I know, all I can hear is people talking about how she went and killed herself. I have to admit I did everything in my power to make Dane's life a living hell. That might be why he hated me so much.

"The first time Dane came home _really_ drunk was when I was not quite seven yet. He came home falling-down drunk and so pissed off he couldn't see straight. He started breaking things. When I came out to see what was wrong, he looked like he wanted to break _me_. He told me to go to my room. When I didn't leave fast enough, he threw a plate at me. It was heavy porcelain, and it hit me hard. I won't go into the gory details—suffice to say I had to take medicine for a mild concussion and have a _lot _of stitches. After that, well... I stayed out of Dane's way." Jacob seemed about to interrupt, but Niki held up her hand for silence and continued.

"Just a little while after my seventh birthday, I met a foreign exchange student at my school who was training in ninjutsu—he had been since he could walk. I asked him to teach me. He said yes. Since then, I wasn't nearly as afraid of Dane hurting me. I wasn't an expert—and I'm still not—but I can handle one idiot drunken man. I'd been busy that whole time learning to defend myself, so I didn't have time to get into drugs or anything, though I easily could have. Not too long after the nine-year mark in my training, we moved here." She fell silent.

"Wow," said Jacob softly.

"There's more." She avoided his eyes, staring out the window. "I want you to know it, but... not the others. And I know you can't exactly help but tell them."

"None of us will think any worse of you," he told her gently.

She looked at him, studying his face for a long, silent moment. At last she sighed. "When I was seven..." she began, "right before I decided to learn to defend myself..." She bit her lip, then blurted it out. "Dane raped me."

"_What?!_"

"You heard me." She couldn't look at him anymore. She felt tears rising in her throat, but fought them down. "That was why I asked my friend to teach me. That was why I felt like I needed to be able to protect myself." Her voice trembled and finally broke. She closed her eyes.

Jacob rose and crossed the room to her, catching her up into his arms. He buried his face in her neck. "Oh, Niki. Niki. I love you. I love you. He's never going to hurt you again. No one's ever going to hurt you." She was crying, and he cradled her gently, rubbing her back. "No one is _ever_ going to hurt you, _ever_ again. Oh, Niki."

"Jacob." Her voice broke.

"I'm here."

"Don't ever leave me. I need you. I need you so much. I need you like I need oxygen." She clung to him, her hands fisted on the back of his shirt. "I need you like I need food and water. I need you like I need life. _More_ than I need life. Don't ever leave me..."

"I won't," he murmured, caressing her back. "Never, ever. I'll always be here. I'll never leave you, and I'll never let anyone hurt you."

"I love you, Jacob."

"I love you, too, Niki. More than anyone or anything."

She buried her face in his shoulder, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Don't ever let me go..."

"I never will."

"Jake? You don't have to be eighteen to elope, right?"

"It depends on whether you have parental permission..."

"Could we work around that?"

"Oh, I'm sure we could. If we can't, your bloodsucker friend, Alice... she'll work something out."

"Great. Jake... I want to marry you, now."

He kissed her. "Just let me draw up the paperwork," he teased.

* * *

Soon everything had been sorted out, with some help from Carlisle and Alice. Since Niki was the last surviving member of her family (vampires not included), Carlisle took temporary custody of her. He had a good reputation with the adoption agencies, since he had supposedly successfully adopted and raised five foster children. With his and Billy's signatures, it was quite easy to find a way for Niki and Jacob to elope.

They snuck back into the house later that night. Niki lay next to Jacob in bed, exhausted and excited at the same time. "Jacob... I am not looking forward to telling everyone about this tomorrow... I'm too tired to deal with everyone."

"Don't worry about that right now," he soothed.

"Mmm-kay. I won't. At long last, your virtue is mine!"

He laughed. "All yours," he agreed.

* * *

It was morning, and Niki—grouchy as ever in the morning—was sitting on Billy's counter eating a bowl of cereal, when Paul barged in.

He glanced around. "Hey, Tinkerbelle. Jake around?"

She nodded. "He should be down any minute."

"Oh, okay. I'll wait." He leaned against the counter as she finished her bowl of cereal.

Jacob came, jumping the stairs two at a time. "Hey, Paul. What's up?"

"I just came to tell you Sam won't be able to make the next run, so he's slotting you in as Alpha." Paul glanced back at Niki and his eyes narrowed. "Hey, Tinkerbelle... what's that on your neck?"

"This?" Niki pointed to the red mark above her collarbone. "Oh. Just a mosquito bite." The lie came smoothly. Her eyes flicked to Jacob, who was blushing madly. "What's the matter, Jake?" she teased. "Got a few mosquito bites in places you don't generally display to the public?"

Jacob shook his head, cheeks burning darker. Paul glanced at him and gave a cry of surprise. "Hey, you have one, too! You have matching mosquito bites!"

"Yep," said Niki, hopping off the counter and heading for the door. "Those mosquitoes, they're real freaks. Watch out for them."

Both boys watched her leave. "If that's a mosquito bite, I'm a mosquito," Jacob mumbled, too low for Paul to hear. "Literally."

Niki walked back up the stairs whistling, hands in her pockets. _The next time Jake turns into a wolf, Paul will know... and he'll come after both of us with a hunting knife. _She smirked to herself. _So will the rest of them. But that's okay. It'll be Jake and me against the world._ She giggled. _Except Gracie. She'll just be disappointed that she didn't get to be a bridesmaid._

* * *

"OH MY GOD, JACOB BLACK! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DIDN'T TELL US!" Leah shrieked at the top of her lungs.

The others winced and some of them covered their sensitive ears. They were pretty ticked off at Jacob too, however. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Sam asked quietly.

"Niki didn't want to face everyone," Jacob said calmly. "I was going to wait until she felt up to it."

Quil was excited. "But that's _great_! You guys are _married_! How cool is that?"

"You should have waited," grumbled Embry.

"Waited for what?" Jacob snapped. "I've reached physical maturity, and Niki will too, soon. If we should have waited to find out if our love was real—I _imprinted_, remember? _I'm_ not going anywhere. Niki might have changed her mind, but she was the one who insisted on eloping in the first place."

"He's got a point," Jared told Embry.

"Look, I made a decision," Jacob said, "and I stand by it. If you don't feel the same way, that's your problem. I'm sorry if you don't like it."

"It was your choice to make," Sam said softly, "and whether we agree or not doesn't matter. We'll stand behind you and support you, as your pack."

"Hey, I'm all for it, anyway," Paul said with a shrug. "Tinkerbelle needs somebody to look after her, since her parents are dead and her damn brother's trying to kill her. I can't do it all myself, you know."

Jacob laughed. "I'd be happy for the extra help. Niki's a handful."

"There's no doubt about _that_," Paul mumbled.

* * *

"OH MY GOD! NIKI! I AM SO HAPPY FOR YOU!"

Niki leaned back and grinned. She had known that Gracie would react like this. Instead of being angry or feeling betrayed, like the pack had, Gracie was delirious with joy. She had pulled Alice into her delirium, as well, and Alice was laughing and dancing around Niki in circles. Edward had very calmly congratulated Niki and then stepped back to allow the females room for their delighted dancing. Esme was crying with happiness. Carlisle was sternly lecturing Niki on the responsibilities of marriage, to which she was not listening. Emmett was grinning and clapping her on the back. Rosalie was quiet, looking forlorn. Jasper was his usual self.

"I'm glad you're so happy about this," Niki said dryly.

"Of course I am! You're married! Jacob will take good care of you."

Niki frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I just realized something."

"What?"

"I'm going to be locked up in a box for the rest of my life."

"Oh, don't worry about _that_. Alice and I will kidnap you whenever you want. If Jacob tried to stop us, he'd answer to Edward and Jasper."

"Don't let them _hurt_ him."

"They won't."

"Okay then... good plan."

"What about kids? Are you going to have kids?"

Niki snorted. "Not anytime soon, no. Of course, sometimes protection unexpectedly doesn't work..."

Gracie laughed. "But someday?"

"Someday. _Maybe_. When my life isn't so screwed up. I'm not gonna bring a kid into this world and say, 'Whoops, I can't even straighten out my _own_ damn life, much less yours. Tough luck, kid.' No chance in _hell_."

Gracie laughed and hugged Niki. "When you figure things out, you'll make a good mother," she promised sagely. "And Jacob will be a _wonderful_ father."

"I hope so," Niki muttered.

"He _will_. And you won't be on your own, either. You'll have the whole pack to support you. _We'll_ be there, too." She gestured around to the Cullens. "We'll be behind you every step of the way. We _love_ you, Niki. You have to realize that. We're not going to say, 'Oh, she's fifteen, she got married, oh, teenage pregnancy,' and ditch you. No. We'll be behind you _every step_. If you turn away and walk a darker path, we won't give up on you." Gracie rocked her like a child, stroking her hair. "When you come back, we'll welcome you with open arms. Always."

Niki clung to her, tears filling her eyes. "I love you, Gracie."

"I love you, too, Niki. We all do."

Trying to recover her usual sarcasm, Niki pulled away and smirked. "That was very poetic, by the way."

Gracie giggled. "I know. I'm Irish. We're poets, the lot of us."

"I can tell. You should write poetry and let me read it."

"Well, actually, about that... Edward and I have been doing this thing where I'll write a song and he writes the music to it. Then he can play it on piano and I can sing."

"That's great! Write a love song for me and Jacob, okay? And then let me hear it."

Gracie grinned. "I'll get right on it."

* * *

That night, Niki was lying in bed with Jacob. "...Jake? I have a question."

"Ask."

"Do you want kids?"

He chuckled. "Someday. But not right now."

"No," she agreed. "Not right now. But, if we had kids... would that make you happy?

He stroked her hair. "Of course. And it would make me happy if it was just you and me for the rest of our lives. I'm happy either way."

"Jake? Do you think I'd be a good mother?"

"Once you mature a little, yes." He kissed her forehead. "You have a huge capacity to love people, Niki. You've just been hurt so much before that the damage is going to take a while to fix."

"I'll never be fixed."

"We'll see about that, Nikita Black." He kissed her on the lips this time. "I'll just keep loving you, and we'll see what happens."

She traced his lips with her index finger. "I love you, Jake. I love you more than I can say. I love you so much I think I'd die if I lost you."

"Then rest easy, Niki. You'll never lose me."

"Promise?"

He caught her hand and kissed her fingertips. "I swear. For richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. 'Til death do us part."

"I'm hoping that won't be for a while."

He chuckled. "I won't let anything happen to you, Niki."

"Of course not. You have me locked away in a box, remember?"

"And I'm never letting you out."

"Gracie says she and Alice are going to kidnap me whenever I want to get out of the house."

Jacob was silent for a moment, stroking her hair thoughtfully. "You'd be safe enough with them," he said at last.

"Really? I thought you didn't trust the Cullens. You said they were filthy bloodsuckers and I shouldn't hang out with them."

He touched her face. "Gracie, at least, I trust. And I know that she's stronger than Alice—she can protect you, if need be."

"She won't need to protect me from _Alice_. But with both of them together there, they can protect me from pretty much anything else. I'll be super-safe."

He laughed. "So are they helping you escape your box, or just giving you a bigger, better box?"

"...Damn."

"Oh, Niki. You must learn that you're never going to have to fear for your life on an hourly basis again—and that means living in a box."

"Damn!"

"You're not really upset." He kissed her. "You are _sooo_ happy about not being afraid anymore."

"Mmm, yes... so happy about being under house arrest for the remainder of my life..."

"It's not that strict."

She laughed. "It will be if Paul has any say!"

"Then we won't give him any."

"We don't have to give him any. He'll take some."

"Yeah, Paul's good at that, isn't he?"

"Very. Jake, would you be absolutely disgusted if I suggested going on a double-date with Gracie and Edward?"

He started laughing, so hard the bed shook. "No, no," he gasped when he finally calmed down. "No, I'd enjoy seeing that bloodsucker get tamed by his girlfriend. Just as long as they don't kiss. That would be nasty—bloodsucker makeout session. _Do_ they kiss? Or do they just bite each other?"

"Vampire hickeys," Niki giggled. "I don't know. I'll have to ask Gracie about that."

"Oh, _don't_. She'll guess it was me that asked!"

"No, she won't. Besides, it's an interesting question. OH MY GOD, JACOB... do vampires have sex?"

"_NIKI!_"

"What? It's a perfectly valid question. I mean, they don't have babies, right? At least, Rosalie and Emmett have been married, like, twenty times and _they_ haven't been popping out any mini-pires. Do they just _not_ have sex? Or is it just that they can't have kids? And when they're together, are they just, like, all over each other with their fangs? Or do they have to be careful not to bite each other?"

"Niki... I cannot believe we're having this conversation."

"What conversation? I'm asking questions. All you're doing is telling me to stop asking questions. If this is a conversation, it's one-sided."

"Niki..."

"What?"

He kissed her slowly, lingeringly. "Shut up."

"Okay," she sighed. "But we _will _continue this conversation in the morning."

"I'm petrified."

"Aren't you just? I really do need to ask Gracie about this. Of course, she probably hasn't had sex with Edward. She'd want to wait until she married him. Ooh! Rosalie! She'll tell me. Rose likes me. Emmett said it's really weird that she likes me, because I'm human and she doesn't like humans..."

"You're not human."

"But that's just it! Why would she like a _werewolf_, of all people! Oh, and that reminds me. Do I start turning into a werewolf soon?"

"You should."

"How will I know?"

"Oh, _believe_ me, Niki. You'll know. It's hard to miss."

"Oh. Does it hurt?"

"Yeah."

"Damn."

"Don't worry. I'll be right here, the whole time."

"How long does it last?"

"Well, for us, a few weeks. I don't know about you."

"Right. 'Cause I'm a weirdo."

"You're Cherokee."

"I have an Indian lady hiding in my body."

"Something like that, yeah. Niki, you're starting to talk nonsense. You need sleep."

"NO! I don't wanna sleep! I want to stay up."

"_Why?_"

"We've only been married two days, Jacob. Our passion isn't supposed to wane for a few years."

"Our passion isn't _waning_. You need to sleep!"

"Mmm... I'm a teenager. I could go all night without sleeping. Of course, I'd have to sleep all day."

"Of course."

"Come _on,_ Jake." She pulled him closer, already unbuttoning his shirt.

"Niki, have you been sniffing something I should know about?"

"I'm high off _you_, Jacob Black. Come _here_."

He sighed and surrendered to her.

* * *

When Bella heard that Alice was out hunting, she decided to take a short trip to the Cullens'. She rumbled to a stop in front of the mansion and turned off the ignition.

Emmett opened the door before she knocked. His eyes instantly were cold. "Bella," he growled. "What do you want?"

Bella was shocked by his hostility. Emmett had always treated her like his kid sister, with teasing adoration. "Um... is Edward here?"

"Why do you care?" he demanded rudely.

"I... I want to see him..."

"I seriously doubt he wants to see you." Emmett was gritting his teeth. It looked like he could barely restrain himself from attacking her.

"Emmett, what are you talking about?"

"_What am I talking about_?" He looked _really _angry now. He probably would have hit her if Jasper hadn't appeared right then.

"Emmett, Rosalie needs your help with the car," Jasper told him. Rosalie didn't really need any help, but it would get Emmett away from Bella. Emmett, glad for the excuse, left.

Jasper turned to Bella. "What are you doing here, Bella?" His voice was as flat as always, his eyes distant. She couldn't sense hostility from him, but neither did he bring the aura of peace that he usually had.

"I wanted to see Edward. Is... is he here?"

Jasper nodded and vanished. A moment later, Edward appeared in the doorway.

"Bella." His voice was cool and emotionless.

"Edward, what's going on?"

"What are you talking about?" His face was blank, completely uninterested.

"The way you're all treating me. Alice yelled at me the other day. Emmett looked like he wanted to tackle me. Jasper's not being himself. And now _you're_ acting like I'm some stranger that showed up on your doorstep and you don't know me at all."

He looked at her coolly. "I don't know you, Isabella. I thought I did. I was wrong."

That stung, but what hurt the most was that he called her Isabella instead of Bella. "What are you talking about?" Her voice was rising. "I don't know what's going on! You're all treating me weird and _I'm_ the one who's off?"

His lips tightened, but his eyes didn't warm one iota. "Yes. You are."

"_What are you talking about?_"

"I heard what you said to Jacob." His voice was still flat, still emotionless. "Alice saw it. She told the others."

Bella's stomach dropped. "I... you know I love you more than Jacob."

He lifted one eyebrow, still completely uninterested. "Do you? You can't have both of us, Isabella. At this point, you can't have _either_ of us."

"What do you mean?" Fear made her voice crack.

"You had your chance to choose one or another. Now you have neither. I don't love you, Isabella Swan. I'm beginning to wonder if I ever did."

Bella tried to speak, but her voice was no more than a whisper. "You're just saying that to protect me."

"I'm not really concerned about protecting you anymore. You've shown me clearly enough you don't want me _protecting_ you." He shrugged. "Maybe you'll find someone else. I have."

"Edward! You're the only one I could ever love!"

"You loved Jacob."

"That's not the same! And even if it was, he imprinted on someone."

"Of course. But you can love another like you loved Jacob. I heard that Mike Newton is available." His face was no longer detached—he looked almost smug. "Run home to Charlie, Isabella. Live a normal life and get a normal boyfriend. There is nothing between us anymore. I wonder if there ever was." He shut the door in her face.

Bella stood there stupidly for a moment, then banged on the door with her fist. She waited for a moment, then banged again. "Edward!" she screamed. "Come back out here! Talk to me! Edward, you still love me! I know you do!"

But as long as she stood there banging on the door, no one answered. The Cullens had cut Isabella Swan out of their lives.


	7. Frenemies

**Chapter Seven: Frenemies**

"It's a possibility," Carlisle told Edward. "We _could_ go to the Volturi. There's no way that Maria can keep her demon horde beyond human notice for long. They would help us find her and Nathan. At this point, we need all the help we can get."

"They'd ask about Bella," Edward said thoughtfully.

"Do you care?"

He shrugged. "I don't want her to die. I just want her to leave me the hell alone."

"She _is_ going to die, Edward, unless one of us turns her—and _soon_."

"Gracie would probably do it," Edward sighed. "She'd do it just so that Bella didn't have to die. She's softhearted like that."

"Of course, one way or another, the Volturi aren't the only ones out there thirsting for Bella's blood." He must have noticed the confused look on Edward's face, because he said, "If we turned Bella, the pack would have every right and reason to come after her—_and_ us. Niki, I think, would be particularly happy to make sure Bella never bothered her again."

"_Damn_. You're right. One way or another, Bella is in danger of a very painful death. If we turn her, the pack comes after all of us. If we don't, the Volturi kill her and then turn on _us_ for telling her in the first place. It's a no-win situation."

"That's true," Carlisle said thoughtfully, "but there _is_ another possibility."

Edward frowned.

"We're the only vampires bound by the treaty, Edward, but we're not the only ones in the area."

Edward's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. "You want _Maria_ to turn her?"

"Or Nathan. It would have to be very carefully orchestrated, but it could be done."

Edward thought about it. "Bring Bella with us," he said slowly. "Put her in the line of fire. Wait until she's bitten, and then pull them off of her?"

"We'd have to have very good timing."

Edward nodded fervently. "_Very_ good. But we'd have to find Maria in the first place."

"Which means going to the Volturi first."

"If they ask, can't we just tell them our plan? Aro will find out anyway."

"Certainly. They'll approve, because either Bella dies or she gets turned into one of us. Either way, they're happy—and either way, there's no danger from the pack."

Edward sighed. "Then we're going to Italy?"

"We'll need a liaison from the pack to come with us. The werewolves are part of this, too—they deserve a voice in the planning." Carlisle frowned. "But would any of the pack come with us? Sam would, but he has to stay and lead his pack. They can't be left without an Alpha for too long."

"Niki and Gracie are friends," Edward reminded him. "Niki might agree."

"Niki isn't part of the pack."

"If Niki came, so would Jacob—and probably Paul, as well."

"Good point."

"And besides that, Niki is married to Jacob now. Doesn't that make her part of the pack?"

Carlisle shrugged. "In my eyes, certainly. But this all depends on the Volturi and how _they_ see things."

Edward sighed. "So we _are_ going to Italy, then."

"I'm afraid so. Try to behave yourself. I doubt the Volturi will give us as much grace as last time. Oh, and tell Alice to stop stealing cars. I know it was an emergency last time, but I don't want her getting into bad habits."

Edward chuckled. "I got her a yellow Italian Porsche just like the one she really liked. She won't need to steal another one."

"Good, good. Let the others know, will you?"

Edward rose from the chair in front of Carlisle's desk. "Of course."

"And tell Jasper to keep an eye on Alice. I _really_ don't want her getting into bad habits."

"She won't need to steal any cars, Carlisle."

"Has a lack of need ever stopped her before?"

"Good point. I'll tell Jasper."

"You do that." Carlisle went back to his reading.

* * *

On the plane to Italy, Gracie leaned her forehead against the cool Plexiglas of the window, gripping Edward's hand tightly. She loved to fly, but she was too worried to really enjoy the journey. She sometimes couldn't even pick out what, specifically, was worrying her. All the little concerns just gathered to hang in a cloud of anxiousness over her.

Edward felt her tenseness and squeezed her hand. "It'll be okay," he promised in a whisper. "We'll sort this all out."

"I hope so," she murmured.

Meanwhile, Niki—who had never been on a plane before—was just about clawing her way into Jacob's lap. "Werewolves are _not_ made for flying," she informed him.

"I know." He looked a little green, himself. At least he wasn't as sick as Paul, who had been in the bathroom for half an hour throwing up. "I should go check on Paul."

"No, no, no, no." Niki pulled herself all the way into his lap. "You're not _moving_ from this spot. I need you here."

"I think _I'm_ in the box now," Jacob said, sounding amused.

"No. You're in _your_ box. I made it just for you. Now shut up and sit still."

Paul came stumbling down the aisle and collapsed into his seat, his face pale. "Damn air travel," he muttered. "It's unnatural."

"So are you, wolf-man, but that didn't stop the Quileutes," Niki snapped.

"Niki, _hush_," Jacob reprimanded, glancing around nervously.

"What? You think someone's going to overhear? Now, honestly, Jake, would anyone on this plane think I was serious? Or I wasn't crazy? I don't think so." She lifted her voice. "HEY EVERYONE! GUESS WHAT! I'M A WEREWOLF IN DISGUISE!"

Jacob slapped his hand over her mouth and she bit him to make him let go. "_Ow_," he hissed, glancing around to see how people reacted to Niki's antics.

Only a few people had even looked up, and those were the ones that were now grumbling about how loud, annoying people wouldn't let them sleep on the plane. Jacob relaxed a little, one eyebrow going up.

"Told you so," Niki said smugly.

He sighed. "Alright, alright. Now hush up and let the nice people get some sleep."

She snuggled into his chest. "Mmm-kay. Hey, Jake, are you very firmly against public displays of affection?"

"Not at all," he said in confusion. "Why?"

"Good." She threw her arms around his neck, pulled herself up, and kissed him hard, her tongue exploring every crevice of his mouth. Her hands slid down the back of his shirt.

Jacob pulled away from her, gasping. "No sex on the airplane, Niki," he muttered.

"Mmm. I didn't think so. You have to start learning to understand me better, Jake. When I say 'public displays of affection,' what I _mean_ is—"

"No sex on the airplane," he repeated forcefully.

"Fine, fine. The bathroom's probably too small anyway."

"_Niki_!"

"What? We're married now, remember? We can have sex wherever the hell we feel like it."

"Oh, _Niki_..."

"Don't you 'oh, Niki' me. I'm serious."

"You're _never_ serious."

"I'm pretty serious at night, under the covers, aren't I, Jacob?"

"Niki! Oh my God! Shut the hell up!"

"Nope, don't think I will."

"Ummm," Paul said, "maybe letting her make herself two chocolate martinis before we left wasn't a great idea."

"You let her do _what?!_" Jacob yelled.

"Shut up and let the nice people sleep, Jake," Niki said smugly. She pulled his head down for another kiss.

Gracie appeared, leaning over the back of Niki's seat. "No sex on the airplane, Niki," she said with a smirk.

"No eavesdropping on the conversations of married couples, Gracie. Just marry Edward. Then you can have your own sex-dependant banter."

Gracie snorted. "I blame the chocolate martinis." She disappeared again.

"Hey, Tinkerbelle?" Paul called.

"Yeah?"

"I know those weren't mosquito bites."

"I'm a married woman, Paul. I can have mosquito bites if I feel like it."

"Okay. But I have one request."

"Yeah?"

"Will you stop kissing Jacob on the lower back? I'm ticklish right there, and his memories of that are really bothering me."

"Okay. But I'm still going to kiss him everywhere else."

Jacob was blushing so hard, he looked sunburned. "When did my sex life become a topic of public conversation?" he cried.

"When you became a werewolf and shared your thoughts with others," Paul informed him, at the same time that Niki said sagely, "When you _got_ a sex life."

Edward groaned from the seat behind Jacob. "Can we _please_ talk about something else? All three of you create _extremely _vivid mental images."

Niki laughed. "Just marry Gracie. Then you'll have your _own_ mental images to create, to distract you from _ours_."

"I feel like we're all one big family," Gracie sighed. "Arguing, picking on each other, and describing intimate details of our sex lives. Oh, yes, definitely one big... happy... demented... immortal family."

"Um, excuse me, _our_ sex lives?" Niki repeated. "You don't _have_ a sex life, Gracie. You're a saint."

"My sex life or lack thereof is none of your business."

"It's Edward's," Niki reminded her.

"It's Edward's business if I say it is," Gracie teased. "Unless and until we tie the knot, my sex life is still none of his concern."

"Oooh, touchy. Edward, you haven't been _asking_ about it, have you?"

"No!" he cried, a rare blush glowing in his pale cheeks.

"Wow! So defensive! I think something's going on, here."

Gracie shook her head. "When did my life become a soap opera?"

"When you were born," Niki told her. "Life _is_ a soap opera, Gracie dear. And you'll be a star until the day you die—maybe longer."

"Tinkerbelle, you are _so_ drunk," Paul said, shaking his head. "You only had _two_ chocolate martinis."

"Only two that _you saw_," she informed him.

"Oh." He frowned. "That explains it."

"Explains what? The fact that I'm being a complete pervert? No, getting drunk doesn't make you perverted, Paul. It just removes the filter between mouth and brain. I would have been thinking all this shit anyway. I just wouldn't have _said_ it."

"We wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place, if you weren't drunk," Jacob reminded her.

"Speaking of conversations, Gracie, I had some questions to ask you..."

"Niki, don't you _dare_," Jake growled.

Niki ignored him. "When you and Edward are, like, _together_... do you kiss or bite?"

"Both," Gracie said, unperturbed. "And no, before you ask, we haven't had sex. But we do kiss, and we do bite. We just draw more blood than humans. Did you know that Edward tastes like cinnamon? I'll bet if I mixed some of your blood with some of his, it would taste like a snickerdoodle."

"We'll have to do that sometime. Hey, when you bite Edward, does it leave a scar?"

"Mm-hm."

"SWEET! VAMPIRE HICKEYS!"

Edward covered his ears, blushing madly. "Teenage girls these days," he muttered. "I miss the _old_ days when people kept their sex lives behind closed doors."

Jacob snorted. "People don't even keep their sex lives behind _open_ doors anymore! They bring them right out in public!"

Gracie laughed and leaned over Edward, whispering something in his ear. His eyes went wide and then closed. He was blushing harder.

"What did you say?" Niki demanded.

Gracie smirked. "I don't think Edward realizes that _every_ fifteen-year-old talks like this—virgins and harlots all thrown together in one mixing pot known as 'high-school'."

"Well, I'm the harlot," Niki noted. "Does that make you the virgin?"

"Does it?"

"Well, are you?"

"Is that your business? But you're right about the virgin-harlot thing. If we'd met in high-school, we never would have hung out in the first place."

"Nope, never. I think I'm corrupting you."

"I have to agree. A few weeks ago I would have jumped off the plane just to avoid having this conversation."

"Ah! So the saint has fallen!"

"Lucifer's deception creates another demon," Gracie sighed.

"HAH! So I'm the devil now, am I?"

"You _did_ say you were the Dark Side," Paul reminded her.

"Yup. Satan ain't got nothing on me. He's evil, but I'm _wicked._"

Edward looked like he was about to scream in frustration. "Can we _please_ stop having this conversation?" he pleaded.

"Aw, come on, Edward," Niki teased. "You know you like it. It turns out that Gracie is sugar _and_ spice. Isn't that nice?" Her smirk widened. "You know you want her..."

"GAH!" He clapped his hands over his ears.

"Niki," Gracie reprimanded. "Leave poor Edward alone. He's over a hundred years old and still a virgin. He's very sensitive."

"Gra-_cie_," Edward moaned. "_Please_ stop."

She laughed. "Okay, okay. I'm done. Are you scarred for life?"

"Yes," he groaned.

Gracie looked at Niki. "We've ruined him, poor guy."

"We're corrupting his innocence," Niki noted. "Oh, poor Edward. I waited to corrupt Jacob until I could take his virtue, too. At least then he was prepared."

Edward was curled into a fetal position at this point, hands over his ears, eyes tightly closed, teeth gritted. Unfortunately, he couldn't block out Niki's thoughts. He winced and moaned.

Gracie laughed softly and rubbed his arm. "It'll be okay," she soothed.

"She won't rape you, Edward, I promise." Niki laughed, and Edward's eyes closed even tighter.

"Leave me alone," he muttered.

"Shut up, Niki." Gracie rolled her eyes at her friend. "Stop picking on poor Edward. I don't understand how this boy survived high-school being able to read everyone's minds."

"Me neither," Niki said cheerfully.

Gracie rolled her eyes again and sighed, pulling Edward out of his seat and into her lap. "It's okay, Edward," she told him, stroking his bronze hair.

"You act like you're his mother, not his girlfriend," Niki said, kneeling up in her seat and peeking over the back at Gracie.

"Isn't that what the girlfriend's supposed to do?" She traced her fingers over Edward's back. He was ignoring the conversation, becoming accustomed to the way the girls talked as though the boys weren't there.

"I don't treat Jacob that way. It's emasculating."

"It is _not. _The boy protects the girl and the girl comforts the boy. It works out." Gracie shrugged. "Besides, to each her own. And Edward," she leaned down and kissed his ear, "is my own."

"Mmm," Edward agreed.

Jacob laughed. "It's just that Edward actually _fits_ into Gracie's lap as well as she would into his. I think I would _squish_ Niki if I tried to sit in her lap."

Niki giggled. "I guess so."

Edward rolled out of Gracie's lap into his seat, then lifted her and placed her in his lap. "Yup. Perfect fit."

She smiled and buried her face in his shirt. Niki laughed again and leaned her back against Jacob's chest, folding her legs. "I didn't used to like being small," she said dryly, "until I found out how funny it was to stand next to seven-foot Jacob and think that we're a couple."

"A _married_ couple," Gracie reminded her.

"Exactly." Niki leaned up and kissed Jacob under the jaw.

"You guys are disgusting," Paul informed them. "All four of you. Publicly displaying affection. It's sickening."

At the same time, Edward leaned down to kiss Gracie and Niki planted her lips on Jacob's. Paul, knowing they did it just to bother him, turned away.

Gracie wound one arm around Edward's neck, stroking his hair. "Do you know that I love you?"

"I know."

"Don't ever forget. I love you, no matter what happens."

"I'll never forget. You make it easy to remember."

She kissed his neck. "Edward, you have_ no_ idea how good you taste."

"Actually, I can guess. _You_ are incredible."

She giggled. "This is an interesting conversation we're having."

"It's what we get for being vampires, I guess."

She laid her head on his chest. "Do you remember anything about being human?"

"Not really. Carlisle tells me about it, sometimes. He took care of me and my mother for a couple of weeks before she died of the Spanish flu. I almost did."

Gracie frowned at the thought of Edward lying in a bed, orphaned, fevered, and pale. "You don't remember anything about that?"

"No."

She put her arms around him. "I wish I'd been there," she whispered.

He smoothed her hair. "I don't. I'm glad you didn't have to see that. And I'm happy to have you _now_."

Meanwhile, Niki was busy kissing Jacob everywhere she could reach. She even pulled his shirt down to kiss his collarbone.

"_Niki,_" he reprimanded, embarrassed.

"What? Nobody's watching anyway. Almost everyone's asleep."

"Why don't _you_ go to sleep? You can sleep off those chocolate martinis."

"No. I don't wanna sleep. Then I'll have a hangover when I wake up."

"I'll ask the flight attendant for some Ibuprofen. Now go to sleep."

"I don't _wanna_..."

"Niki, damn it, stop being rebellious and get some sleep."

"_Fine._ If you don't want me awake, I'll go to sleep!" She crawled out of his lap and into her seat, the knelt up and leaned over Paul's seat. "Hi, Paul."

"Tinkerbelle... your husband just gave you a direct order to go to sleep."

"I don't wanna."

"I can tell. Go to sleep."

"Okay, okay, fine. But when I wake up you're both in trouble."

"I'm terrified."

"You should be." Niki snuggled down into her seat to sleep.

Jacob breathed a sigh of relief. _I really hope she sleeps that off._

Paul, meanwhile, was thinking, _I really hope she forgets about this._

* * *

It wasn't long before they had reached the underground entrance to the lair of the Volturi. No one was looking forward to having to slog through the muck, but it was the only way for them to get in.

When they entered the hideout, the secretary seemed to have been expecting them. "Aro, Caius, and Marcus will be with you in a few minutes," she informed them.

The Cullens and the three werewolves settled in to wait. Gracie could feel Edward's tenseness. Sitting in the chair next to him, she leaned over and laid her head on his shoulder. "What's wrong?" she whispered.

He snaked his arm around her, holding her tightly against him. "Just remembering the last time I was here," he murmured.

He had told her about that, she remembered, a short while after they had decided to go to Italy in the first place. It was a painful memory for him and she hated seeing the look on his face as he recounted it. Sighing, Gracie slid both arms around his neck. "It'll be okay."

Jacob couldn't sit still. He kept fidgeting and tapping his foot. He was obviously very unhappy about being in the inner sanctum of the most infamous and dangerous of all vampires. Niki, sitting in his lap, finally said, "Jacob. _Sit still_. I have a hangover and I want to sleep for a while, but you're making that really hard."

"Sorry," he apologized.

Paul was worse. He couldn't even sit. Pacing back and forth, he chewed his nail and tried to think of what to do if the Volturi turned out to be hostile.

"Paul," Niki said sharply, "sit _down_. You're making me nervous."

He sat down, but jumped up again almost instantly and started pacing again.

Alice was similarly nervous. "I wish I had my canary Porsche," she muttered. Jasper placed his hand on her arm and she calmed immediately.

Niki was drifting off, trying to get some sleep so that her head didn't pound so much, when a small figure glided into the room and stopped. The figure was a tiny girl, Niki's size, with white skin, large red eyes, and long black hair.

"Come with me," she said, her voice soft and sweet.

Niki looked up, startled, and their eyes met. For a moment everyone feared a showdown of the evil pixies. Then the vampire girl smiled and ghosted over to her.

"Hello," she said sweetly. "My name is Jane."

"Niki," Niki said, sticking out her hand for a handshake.

Everyone looked on in awe. Not only was it unheard of for Jane to treat _any _outsider with liking, there was also the fact that Jane was a vampire and Niki was a werewolf. They all stood to follow Jane out of the room.

"You work for the Volturi?" Niki asked as she rose.

"Mm-hm. Are you a werewolf?" Jane wrinkled her nose. "You smell like dog."

"Not yet, but soon, supposedly. Sorry about the smell. It doesn't exactly go away with aerosol deodorant."

Jane smiled. "It's okay. It's not that bad, really. And you smell yummy, too. Like a cookie."

Niki chuckled. "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"If those two become friends," Paul whispered to Jacob, "we're all in for it."

"We're doomed," Jacob agreed glumly.

In sync, Niki and Jane turned to look at the two werewolves. They both smirked, Jane's fangs flashing, Niki's eyes narrowing.

"Yup. We're doomed," reiterated Jacob.

Jane led them to the Volturi's inner sanctum and stopped. Aro, Marcus, and Caius, tall vampires—Marcus and Caius with black hair, Aro with white—who looked as old as time, beckoned them in.

"You're _here_!" Aro cried. "At long last! I sincerely apologize for making you wait. We had some business to attend. But you're here now!"

"We're honored to be here," Carlisle said politely.

"You should be," Caius commented, listless.

"Yeah, right," Jacob growled.

"But come, come," Aro interrupted. "Now that you're here, I believe we had something to discuss?"

"Of course," Carlisle said with a slight bow, and began to explain the situation. Occasionally one of the others would pop in with a detail that he'd missed. Aro, Caius, and Marcus listened without interrupting. Aro was an excellent audience. He gasped and exclaimed in all the right places, even pretending to faint when Carlisle told him how Maria and Nathan had kidnapped Niki. Edward rolled his eyes at Gracie, who shrugged. Jane and Niki weren't even paying attention. They were too busy discussing plans for world domination. Paul nudged Jacob and nodded toward the two tiny girls, mouthing, "No hope."

Carlisle didn't mention his and Edward's plan for Bella. They had agreed not to speak of it unless the Volturi asked specifically.

"Well, we're going to have to get rid of her, of course," Marcus said, once Carlisle had finished speaking. "This absolutely cannot go on. It's quite alright to want power and territory, of course, but she's going about it all wrong. It isn't possible for her to keep this a secret from the mortals for long. Her army is too large. She won't be able to control the whole thing."

"Our thoughts exactly," Carlisle said.

Aro sighed dramatically. "We'll send as much help as we can spare. It saddens me that this meeting has ended so quickly. I wish not to see you go so soon."

"We wish not to go so soon, but we must not delay," Esme said.

"Of course, of course. I wish you all much luck. When you return downstairs, please wait in the front room. I will send some of our own down in a few moments to help you with your little problem."

"Thank you." Carlisle began to turn away.

"Wait," Aro called. "It's difficult to believe that I'd forgotten this whole time, but I remember now. I wanted to ask—how are things coming along with Bella?"

Carlisle stopped and turned slowly back. "Actually, I had been meaning to discuss that with you, as well." He sighed. He and Edward had been hoping they wouldn't have to address the issue, since they hadn't discussed it with any of the others. But they had planned for this anyway—this was the real reason they had brought the werewolves. The pack needed to know about this plan, since it involved them.

Calmly, he explained his plan, the others all listening as intently as the Volturi did. No one seemed dramatically opposed, however. Jacob and Edward were unhappy, but they understood the inherent necessity of the plan. At this point, they seemed more concerned with the safety of Niki and Gracie.

Aro listened, this time with a frown. When Carlisle finished explaining, Aro shook his head. "I think one of us has missed something."

"What do you mean?" Carlisle asked cautiously.

"Bella is already a vampire. I was asking how she was handling it."

"She's already—" Carlisle looked startled. "What?"

"One of our people went to check not long ago. Bella has very recently been turned."

"None of us turned her," Carlisle said in alarm.

"You don't think..." Emmett began, "Maria got her?"

"I think that's exactly what happened," Carlisle growled.

"Damn," Emmett breathed.

"Shit," Paul snarled.

Carlisle turned abruptly to Aro. "Thank you again for your help," he said, his voice short and clipped. "We'll wait downstairs."

The others followed him downstairs, still distracted and trying to process the news about Bella. Edward collapsed into his chair and Gracie quickly went to kneel in front of him.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

He nodded shakily. "Yeah. I just... this is a surprise."

"I know. We're all surprised." She reached up and smoothed his hair. "It's probably hardest on you and Jacob, though."

"Yes. Alice, too. She liked Bella."

She placed both hands on his knees and sighed. "Just because Maria turned Bella doesn't mean that Bella won't turn out okay."

"I know. But what if we don't find her in time? You remember what it was like in that first week. And you were a strange one, too. It was much harder on the rest of us. What if Bella... gets into bad habits?"

"She wouldn't be the first who was corrupted by Maria," Gracie said softly, glancing at Jasper.

"There's another thing to consider. I don't think Maria would have gone after Bella specifically. What if _Bella_ went looking for _Maria_?"

"Why would she _do_ that?" Gracie demanded.

"There are a lot of reasons. Self-preservation, for one. She knew that none of us were speaking to her, and the Volturi might come to check at any time."

"That could be it," Gracie agreed thoughtfully. "Why aren't you speaking to her?"

Edward hesitated, realizing that Gracie hadn't heard about what Bella had said to Jacob. At least, not the whole of it. He had mentioned it in passing, but...

He sighed. She should know.

Gracie listened in shock as Edward explained what had happened in the wildflower field. "Oh," she said softly. "Edward, if Niki knew..."

"That's why we haven't told her. She'd go on a murdering spree."

"No, Niki has more control than that."

"That's not what you said when I mentioned it before."

"I know her better now. She'd be pissed. But she wouldn't kill anyone."

Edward shrugged. "Either way, it didn't seem necessary."

Gracie frowned. "Doesn't she have a right to know?"

"There's nothing she can do about it, and it'll upset her."

"But she deserves to know."

Edward sighed. "Tell her if you like, but I won't."

"Not now." Gracie laid her head down on his thighs, sliding her arms around his waist. "I want to know that you're okay."

He stroked her hair. "I'll be alright," he assured her.

"Good." Her arms tightened around him. "I love you, Edward. I want good things for you. If Bella is good for you, I want you to have her."

"She's not, my love," Edward whispered. "_You_ are. If you want to make me happy, let me make _you_ happy. If you want good things for me, let me give _you_ good things. You are the center of my life. All I want is to love you. All I want is your love."

"You have it," she said softly. "You have my love. You have all of me. Every part of me is yours."

"Not _every_ part." He leaned down and kissed her softly on the temple. "Gracie, I love you. And you love me. I want to be with you forever, and give you every piece of myself. I want you to have all of me." Edward took a deep breath. "Gracie, will you marry me?"

She fisted her hands on the cloth of his slacks, staring up into his eyes. "Are you for real?"

"Yes."

"Oh, _Edward_... of course I'll marry you!"

He chuckled. "I'm sorry about the very unromantic atmosphere at this moment, but I couldn't wait any longer to ask."

"I'm glad you didn't!" She slid all the way into his lap, leaning her back against his chest. "With the way we were acting on the plane, we might not have been able to resist much longer. We'd do something we'd regret later."

"We'd have all of eternity to regret it," Edward said softly, unaware that he was echoing Niki's thoughts about Jacob before their marriage.

"Right." She turned halfway and wrapped her arms around his neck, tucking her hands down the back of his shirt. "We'll have to start making plans, like, _right now_. I don't want to wait any longer than I have to."

"Leave it all to Alice," Edward said lightly. "As soon as she finds out, she's going to take charge of the planning whether we like it or not."

Gracie sighed and leaned against his chest. "I always said I wouldn't get into a relationship until I was eighteen at least. Now, I'm fifteen and being proposed to."

"You'll never be eighteen, little one." He kissed her forehead.

"I know. So why wait?"

Before he could reply, Jane walked into the room, followed by Alec and Demetri. Niki jumped out of her seat and ran to Jane. They immediately continued their conversation from before.

Jacob sighed. "Yup, we're dead." Paul nodded in agreement.

"Can we go back now?" Alice complained. "I want my Porsche."

"Yes, we need to leave," Carlisle said, his voice still clipped. He glanced sharply at Jane, Alec, and Demetri. "Are you coming?"

"Of course," Demetri told him. "Aro sent us as back up."

"And you don't mind taking a plane?"

"No."

"Then let's go."

* * *

The plane ride back to Italy was nearly as interesting as the one before. Gracie had told the others about her engagement to Edward, and they were extremely excited—especially Alice and Niki. Alice was already discussing wedding plans with Esme. Rosalie threw things in on occasion, and Niki listened in silence. She had never really been in on all of the wedding stuff.

Edward, holding Gracie in his lap, smoothed her hair. "At least I don't have to worry about hurting you. I was always afraid of hurting Bella."

"I'm not Bella," she reminded him.

"I know, my love."

She leaned up, cupped the back of his neck, and kissed his throat. "Edward, does it hurt when I bite you?"

"Not enough to make me want you to stop."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"Don't be afraid of that." He laid one hand on the back of her head and pulled her in. "I like it."

She giggled. "You're a strange one, Edward." Then she gently slid her fangs into his neck.

"Careful," he murmured. "I doubt the other passengers will be very accepting if they see this."

Trying not to smile, she pulled out and licked the blood off his throat. "I don't care."

"Mmm. I can tell."

Meanwhile, Niki was kneeling up in her seat, nipping Jacob's ear.

"That tickles," he complained.

She smirked, said, "Good," and nipped his earlobe again.

He sighed and slid his arm around her waist. "I love you, baby."

"I'm just a lovable person," Niki sighed.

"Well, I don't know about _that_..."

"That's 'cause you don't know _anything_."

"I know I love you."

"That's good to know."

"Isn't it?"

"Yep. I know you love me, and I know Paul loves me, and Leah, and Quil, and Gracie..."

"Hmm. Maybe you _are_ a lovable person."

"Glad to see you figured that out!"

"I think you would have hurt me if I hadn't."

"That sounds like something I would do. But not to you."

"Not to me?"

"No. I like you. I want to keep you."

He smiled, cupping her cheek, his eyes sparkling as he took in her anxious expression. "You'll always keep me, Niki. You'll never have to lose me."

She relaxed a little. "Good."

"You know that. And I'll keep telling you that every day for the rest of our lives."

Niki nodded. "You promise?"

"I promise," he told her patiently.

"Hold me?"

"Of course." He allowed her to crawl into his lap and cradled her gently, kissing her hair and her face, trailing his fingers over her back.

"This is going to suck when the seatbelt sign goes on," Niki complained.

"We won't worry about that. When it comes on, you can just get back in your seat."

"I don't wanna."

"Would you rather land without a seatbelt?"

"No..."

"Well, there you go."

"...Shut up, you."

"Why? Don't you like the sound of my voice?"

"Mm-hm. Shut up."

With a soft chime, the seatbelt sign came on. Niki sighed and rolled back into her seat, clicking her seatbelt. "I _hate_ this part," she confided in Jacob.

"Werewolves aren't made for flying," Jake reminded her.

"Exactly."

"Well, we'd better get used to it, because we've got two more planes to catch before we can make it back to Washington."

"Damn."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Jake, have you noticed that this is probably the most boring conversation we've ever had?"

"No, but now that you mention it, what happened to the sarcastic jokes and sexual banter?"

"Not sure. Maybe my brain cells are dying of exhaustion. Humor tumor!"

"Okay... that was pathetic."

"I have a hangover. Hangovers aren't funny. What do you expect?"

Before Jacob could reply, the plane's landing gear hit the ground, jolting them both. Niki reached over and clung to Jacob's shirt.

"Damn air travel," Paul snarled from the seat in front of them. He was white underneath his tan.

"Poor Paul," Niki sighed.

"Poor _us_," Jacob growled. "We have to deal with all these bloodsuckers. It's hard to remember who's a friend and who's an enemy."

"No, it isn't," Niki informed him. "The Cullens and the Volturi are our friends. Maria and Nathan are our enemies."

"And what about..." Jacob began.

"Bella?"

He nodded.

"I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

"Yeah... I guess all we can do is wait to find out..."

* * *

When they got back to La Push, Demetri and Alec immediately vanished, claiming to want to find Maria's trail before it got any colder than it already was. Niki insisted on bringing Jane back to Jacob's house and disappeared upstairs with her.

The Cullens returned to their house. "What now?" Gracie asked Edward.

"Now we wait for Demetri to track Maria, then we go and finish her off."

"What about Bella?"

Edward was silent for a moment. "I don't know," he said softly. "I suppose we just wait for her to make a move."

"So all we're doing at this point is waiting?"

"That's right."

Gracie sighed. "I'm tired of waiting."

"So am I, love."

"In adventure books, everything happens at once. There's none of this waiting around all the time."

"That's not always true..."

"But think about it. Do they always have these long intervals? No. Most of the time, the action heats up later on. For us, it seems to be slowing down."

Edward slid his arms around her and pulled her in to him. "Gracie... stop thinking about it so much."

She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I always over-think things."

"I know." He kissed her gently.

He tried to pull away then, but she placed both hands on the back of his head and drew him in further. He was gasping when she finally released him, despite the fact that he didn't really need to breathe. Her breath as ragged, as well.

"You're too tempting," he informed her. "You're making it very hard to abstain."

"Can you last until the wedding?" Her arms were still around his neck.

"Yes..."

"Good." She pulled his head down to kiss her again.

Emmett walked in. "Good morning, lovebirds," he sang.

"Hello, Emmett," Gracie said calmly, without releasing Edward.

"Having fun?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

"Very much," Edward told him.

"_Lots_ of fun," Gracie added.

"Well, don't have _too_ much fun. You're not married yet, remember?"

"I remember only too well," Edward groaned.

Gracie giggled and pulled her arms off of his neck. "Having bad thoughts, Edward?"

"I don't need to. Emmett's are enough to keep me occupied."

Gracie turned to Emmett. "Emmett!" she said crossly.

He chuckled. "That's my cue to run away." A moment later, he was gone.

Gracie glanced back at Edward. "Excuse me, darling." She vanished.

Edward sighed. "He's my brother, alright. At least she didn't know what _Alice_ is thinking right now..."

Speaking of Alice, he thought, he needed to discuss wedding plans with her. He sighed again. She was probably going all-out, the way she always did.

One last sigh, and he walked off to find Alice.

After a few days, Demetri and Alec returned. "We found Maria," Demetri told the immortals, who were gathered at Emily's house—neutral territory, or so they had decided, although the pack had an obvious advantage. "Nathan is with her, as is your Bella."

"Damn," Jacob breathed.

Edward turned away. Gracie murmured soothingly to him.

"If we move quickly, we can chase them down," Demetri continued. "We'll intercept them near the foothills."

"Then what are we standing around for?" Emmett demanded impatiently. "Let's _go_."

"We mustn't rush into this, Emmett," Esme said gently.

"We're ready," Sam said calmly, indicating himself and the pack. "Are you?"

"We are," Carlisle told him.

"Then let's go!" Paul snarled, punching his palm to show that he was ready for a fight.

"There it is," Quil muttered.

The immortals stood before the foothills, gazing up into the rocky expanses. Edward had allowed Gracie to run by herself for the first time, trusting completely in her self-control.

Carlisle looked at Demetri. "Do you know _exactly_ where they are?"

"Yes," the Volturi vampire replied grimly, "but it would appear that Maria has decided to surround herself with allies."

"Demons?" Paul demanded, dark eyes glowing in anticipation of a fight.

"Newborn vampires, as well. This is not going to be an easy fight."

Jasper dismissed that with a wave of his hand. "We know how to fight newborns."

"Good. Jane, Alec, and I do, as well."

"Of course you do," Niki informed him. "You're Volturi. That's, like, what you do, right?" Jacob shushed her, but Jane nodded affirmative.

Clearly impatient, Emmett started forward. Without further ado, the rest of them followed.

As soon as they reached the first of the gray rocks, a low, collective growl was heard. A manticore-like demon rounded a bolder and prowled lazily toward them, lips drawn back in a snarl. A huge snake—bigger around than Emmett and longer than Paul was tall—came slithering from the other direction, hissing. Two red-eyed vampires appeared over a ridge, followed by several others.

Niki drew her katana. Gracie moved next to her and squeezed her shoulder.

"It's going to be a long afternoon," the redheaded vampire murmured.

"Really?" the tiny werewolf replied with a smirk. "I think it's going to be fun."

With a wild battle cry, Jasper sprang forward. Sam followed with a snarl.

The battle began.


	8. Details

**Chapter Eight: Details**

Gracie leaned against Edward, not really tired but slightly out of breath. "Well," she said. "That was... interesting."

"That was _fun_!" Niki exclaimed, bounding up to them and rocking back on her heels, a huge grin adorning her face.

"I agree," Emmett said, clapping her on the shoulder.

"Enough," Jasper told them. "We still have Maria to deal with."

"And Nathan," Niki piped up.

"And _Bella,_" Gracie muttered apprehensively. Edward put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed her to him.

"Can you excuse us for a minute?" he asked the others, steering Gracie a few feet away, shrouded among the rocks. Then he pulled her to him, snaking one arm around her waist and using his other hand to tilt her chin up so that she would look at him. "Gracie. Are you afraid?"

She bit her lip. "I think so."

"Explain."

Struggling for words, trying to phrase her thoughts, Gracie began hesitantly. "Well... I'm nervous, of course. This will be my first real fight against something or someone more powerful than I am. And I know you'll all be fighting with me, but that scares me, too—what if I go crazy? I'm not like other newborns, but Jasper is still nervous about me. I know he is. And it scares me. Remember my first fight with a demon? I almost attacked you after that."

"You didn't," he reminded her. He was about to speak again, but she cut him off.

"I know. But that time there was only one enemy and not that much blood. You and Jasper were both very quiet and calm at the time, very still... I doubt it will be like that when we're in the middle of fighting for our lives. It'll be a frenzy—loud, bloody, chaotic, constant motion. I could lose my cool and hurt someone... someone I'm not supposed to."

He leaned down to kiss her forehead. "You'll be fine. And even if you do start to panic, we can take care of ourselves. Jasper can probably handle you."

"His gift doesn't work on me," Gracie protested.

"He doesn't need his gift. He's a military officer and an expert on newborns, remember?"

"Yeah." She looked away. "But..."

"But...?"

"Can he handle me _and_ Bella?"

Edward frowned. "Is _that _what's worrying you?"

"She's a newborn too, Edward, and fresher than I am, if I remember correctly."

"Maybe, but that won't make a difference... and anyway, you, unlike other newborns, can _think_ beyond bloodlust."

She smiled softly. "I don't know. I have a hard time thinking beyond lusting after _your_ blood."

"Very funny." He kissed her. "I know _exactly_ how you feel, love. Now, what else is bothering you?"

Gracie leaned her head against his chest and sighed. "You want the truth?"

"Yes, please."

"Bella."

"What about her?"

Gracie chewed her lip, nestling further into his chest. "I don't want to say it. But I guess you should know... Edward, you were in love with Bella for a long time."

Edward sighed. "Yes."

"And I know that you love me. I _know__._ But..." She stared off into the endless sky. "You can love more than one person."

"Yes, darling, you can," he said softly. "That was the original problem between me and Bella. She didn't only love me... she also loved Jacob."

"But she loved you more..."

"Not enough." Edward gently tilted her chin up again. "It turned out that Bella didn't love me as much as she loved herself. She loved her control. She loved having us both in the palm of her hand."

"But you loved _her__._"

"Yes. I did."

"Why don't you love her anymore?"

"I don't know." His lips touched her temple and trailed down to her jaw. "Maybe it was me. Maybe it was her. I gave up on her when she chose to go after Jacob."

Gracie bit her lip again, trying to phrase her thoughts in a way that wouldn't hurt Edward. "Then you gave up on her when she made a bad, stupid mistake."

Edward was silent for a moment, stroking her hair. "I gave up on her when she chose to be intentionally selfish," he said at last.

"What if I choose the same?" she whispered.

"You won't."

"But what if I do?" Tears were beginning to fill her eyes. "Will you still love me?"

Edward let out a soft breath and closed his eyes. "_Now_ I understand what you're getting at. Gracie, listen. I don't think there was ever anything holding Bella and I together beyond extreme attraction and mutual affection."

"Then you _didn't_ love her?"

"I did, but not in the same way I love you. I loved her _actions, _her _words_, her _personality__._I loved her body and her blood." Edward gently trailed his finger down the side of her face, stroking her cheek. "But all of that can change. People can choose to be different—do and say different things. They can choose to change themselves, can choose to walk different paths. Her body could change—at least until she became a vampire—and even now, she could be torn to pieces and she would no longer _have_ a body. Her blood could be drained."

"What do I have that she doesn't?" Gracie wondered.

"I love your heart. I love your _soul__._" He closed his lips over hers, kissing her softly. "No matter what you do or say, or who you become, your soul will still be _yours__._ It will still be _Gracie__._" He cupped the back of her head and kissed her again. "Do you understand now?"

She laid her head against his chest, closing her eyes. One frosty tear slipped down her cheek. "I... think so."

"Hey, lovebirds!" Emmett's call echoed among the rocks. "Better hurry up or we'll leave without you!"

Edward brushed her tear away with his thumb. "Don't cry," he said in a low, rough voice. "I don't ever want to make you cry. If I do, I'll throw myself off a cliff. If someone else does, I'll break every bone in their body. Alright?"

"Okay." Gracie rubbed her eyes. "Come on. They're probably getting impatient."

"They can wait until you're alright."

"I'm fine. Come on."

Edward nodded and took her by the hand, pulling her back to the others. "Let's go get Maria," he told them.

"_And_ Nathan," Niki grumbled. "Why does everyone keep forgetting about him?"

Jacob laughed and picked her up, settling her on his hip like a child. "We can handle your brother," he said confidently.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Then she muttered something under her breath that sounded like "stupid cocky bastard."

"I know," he said, nuzzling her neck. "But I'm yours."

"You most certainly are," Niki said sharply. "And I suggest you stay that way!"

"Don't worry. I will." He kissed her jaw.

"You guys are disgusting," Paul complained.

"Publicly displaying affection again, are you?" Gracie said with a grin. "Shame, shame."

"Oh, shut up, Gracie. Like you weren't just over there kissing on Edward."

Gracie rolled her eyes. "You're right, Niki. That's exactly what I was doing. I just slobbered all over him. Mm-hm."

"Ewww," Alice told Edward. "Now you have Gracie cooties."

Edward wiped his hand on her. "Now you do, too."

"Very funny," Rosalie snapped. "Can we go now?"

"Maria is just over that ridge," Demetri commented, pointing. "Nathan and Bella are a few dozen yards to either side of her. And she has..." his brow furrowed, "...something _else_ with her."

"It feels like a demon," Jane said thoughtfully.

"High-level, probably," Carlisle observed.

Edward recalled what Carlisle had said about demons. _The strongest can change form instantly, even constantly, if they so choose._

"Let's go get them," he said grimly.

As they topped the rise, Maria came into sight. She appeared impatient, tapping her foot with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Well, it _is_ about time you showed up!" she snapped.

"Stow it, bloodsucker," Jacob growled. "Get ready to die." He started to move forward, but Maria stopped him by wagging her finger disapprovingly.

"Now, now," she said. "Don't make a move you'll regret, dog."

"She's not alone," Sam said quietly.

Maria clapped her hands gleefully. "Precisely!" Then, cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out, "Ixtherion, dear!"

There was a blast of sound, like the howling of a trumpet, and then Ixtherion the demon was before them. It took the form of a dragon, sinuous and garnet-red, twice as long as Jacob was tall. With six pairs of legs, four huge black eyes, and smoke pouring from his nostrils, the creature was quite a sight to see.

"You called, my lady?" it rumbled, in a voice that made the ground vibrate.

Maria flapped a hand dismissively. "Get rid of this garbage. I haven't time to deal with them myself."

In a moment, she was gone. Ixtherion turned toward the immortals.

"Oh, sh—" Fortunately, Niki didn't have time to finish, since her last word was probably not going to be "sheep." Ixtherion attacked.

It would have seemed that, with the entire pack _and_ the entire coven, the demon would not have stood a chance. Nevertheless, Ixtherion held its own. With constant shape-shifting, it continually slipped through the immortals' fingers. Paul and Emmett, passionate fighters, quickly got frustrated.

"Kill that thing, damn it!" Paul roared.

"Shut up, Paul!" Niki snapped.

Gracie ducked around Ixtherion and jammed her entire hand beneath one of the scales on its back, wrenching the scale off and hurling it away. The dragon screamed and shifted into a giant constrictor snake, missing a large chunk of its body, and wrapped itself around Gracie. She gritted her teeth, eyes glowing dark golden, and pushed against the tightly muscled sides of the demon snake. In an instant, Edward was swooping to her rescue, grabbing Ixtherion by the throat and forcing it to uncoil with great effort. Emmett jumped in, hooking his fingers into the top and bottom of the snake's mouth and slowly, gradually, pulling them apart. Ixtherion hissed, flicking its powerful tail to knock over Quil, who had been trying to sneak up on it. Then the snake was no longer a snake but a huge bear, towering well over even the seven-foot werewolves. With a ground-shaking roar, the demon attacked again.

This went on for too long. The immortals—even the strongest of the vampires—were beginning to tire, while Ixtherion seemed to be in nearly perfect shape, even despite the small piece that was missing from each of his forms where Gracie had torn off a scale.

Niki was getting impatient. While Leah distracted the demon with quick, catlike attacks, Niki crept in from behind. Of course Ixtherion sensed her coming and turned—at this point it was back in the shape of a dragon—but Niki had planned on this. As soon as Ixtherion opened its mouth to spout fire at her, she sprang forward and sent her katana all the way into the back of its throat.

Screaming horribly, the demon writhed on the ground, shifting form every couple of seconds. Within moments it had dissolved into dust and blown away in the wind.

Niki glanced around. "Well, that was anticlimactic."

"I know," Gracie remarked. "Nobody died or anything."

"It was almost too easy," Edward said cautiously.

"It's not over yet," Sam replied, looking grim. "We still have those bloodsuckers to deal with."

"Oh," said Niki. "Right. Good point."

"Forgot about that," Gracie said dryly.

"Mm-hm. Me too. Funny thing to forget."

"Yup. Not very forgettable."

"Nope, not at all."

"Enough of the not-so-witty banter," Alice informed them. "We have to go after Bella and the other two."

"Hey!" Niki complained. "Our banter is too witty!" Everyone ignored her.

Paul made a fist with his right hand and punched his left palm. "Nathan's ass is _mine_," he growled, eyes smoldering dangerously.

Jacob nodded. "Same here. Nathan has to die and that's all there is to it."

"I'll handle Maria," Jasper said quietly.

"I'm coming with you." Alice's tone left no room for arguments.

Niki scowled. "I'm going after Bella."

Gracie put a hand on the tiny werewolf's shoulder. "I'll go, too. She's a newborn. You'll need all the help you can get."

Niki's scowl abruptly turned to a grin. "I guess you would know."

Gracie chuckled. "Yeah, but you're a werewolf... killing vampires is what you do. I think we can handle her."

"Not by yourselves," Sam told them. "The rest of us will come with you. You can't take her alone."

"Sure we can," Niki said with a shrug. "Besides, this is a personal battle. You know, scores to settle, bones to pick, that kind of stuff." She glanced at Gracie. "I'm only letting Missy Prissy here come along as backup." Gracie lifted one eyebrow. "And because she'd kick my ass if I didn't."

Gracie grinned. "Right. So, let's go already."

"Now wait a second—" Sam began sternly.

"No. No more waiting." Gracie knelt in front of Niki. "Get on. I can run faster than you."

A moment later, they were gone.

Sam sighed. He wanted to go after them, but Niki had a point. This was a personal battle—for both of those girls. It was up to them to fight it. So, instead, he turned away and started splitting up the forces between Nathan and Maria.

Gracie glanced around. "She's here somewhere. I _know_ she is. But her scent is all over—I can't smell out a clear trail."

"_I_ can," Niki said, sounding strangely husky and grim. Gracie glanced at her to see the tiny girl's dark eyes flickering with strange colors, like melted gold and iridescent copper.

"Okay," Gracie said warily. "Go ahead."

Niki lifted her nose to the air and scented it like a dog (or a wolf, Gracie thought, performing a mental face-palm). Her eyes narrowed to mere slits and she sniffed again. Then she growled, a deep, guttural sound that made Gracie tense for a fight.

Niki's head jerked to one side. "This way," she growled, then took off in the indicated direction, leaving Gracie to follow like an obedient sheep.

Niki jogged bent halfway over, eyes on the ground, nose to the air. Her heart-rate increased with every step she took. Something deep and instinctual was taking over, and she was happy to let it. She was only faintly aware of Gracie somewhere behind her, too focused on her quarry—Isabella Swan.

As Niki and Gracie crested another rise, movement flickered on the edge of their vision. Gracie whipped her head around, trying to spot the source, but Niki was perfectly still. She had found her prey and was now tensed to spring.

Bella appeared, as though stepping out of air. Her face was tight with tension, her hands clenching and unclenching. Her eyes were like black stars in the dawning light.

Gracie glanced between the two half-rabid young women. Niki was snarling, lips pulled back from sharp teeth—if she had been a dog, her hackles would be up. As it was, she was in a half-crouch, ready for battle. Bella was like a wire of electricity, vibrating on the spot, wild and uncontained. She could be gone in a flicker if the wrong movement was made.

"Bella," Gracie said softly. "Don't do this."

"Back off," Bella snarled.

"_You_ back off, you..." Niki let loose with a few choice words that Gracie was surprised didn't burn her mouth.

Bella's mouth curved in a feral smile that did nothing to lighten her appearance. "That's not ladylike."

"Bite me," Niki spat.

"That can be arranged." And Bella leapt.

Niki sprang. As she flew through the air, she made a quick transformation that even Gracie, with her excellent eyesight, could hardly follow. When Niki collided with Bella, she was a fully-grown, glossy-black werewolf, darker than night, who was spitting and snarling in rage. Her eyes, dark as always, were circled by a ring of liquid gold.

Gracie dove into the fight as the two girls ripped into one another. Someone kicked her in the eye—she wasn't sure who—but she gritted her teeth, grabbed Bella by the throat, and threw her into the nearest boulder. Niki, knocked onto her side, growled and scrambled back onto her feet, lunging at Bella. The vampire ducked in time to avoid the werewolf's teeth, but could not evade the brunt of her claws, slicing into her cold, hard body. Bella screamed as she rolled away, but by the time she stood up—smeared with blood and dust—the wounds had already sealed shut. However, the fact that Niki's claws had punctured her at all gave Bella a new level of respect for her main opponent.

Gracie, on the other hand, had crept around to Bella's other side while she was focused on Niki and leapt onto her back. Bella whipped around, trying to throw her off, but Gracie's arms were like iron bands around her.

Unfortunately for Gracie, Bella was a newborn as well, and was not as susceptible to crushing as an older vampire might have been. Bella bent her knees, leaned forward slightly, and then dove backwards onto the ground, slamming Gracie into the dirt and driving into her with her own weight. Before she could stop to check if Gracie was even fazed, Niki came flying out of nowhere, roaring to high heaven. She crashed directly into Bella and they went rolling on the ground, grappling for control. Gracie ducked back into the fight, wrenching Bella out where she could reach her and biting deeply into her shoulder. Bella screamed, shoving Gracie away, and turned to find herself face-to-face with Niki the werewolf. Niki would have taken a bite out of her if she had not ducked and rolled directly underneath Niki's body, in between her legs. Niki, brilliant tactician that she is, instantly sat down. Bella, her foot caught beneath one of Niki's thighs, howled in rage and slashed at the wolf's side with her claws. Niki whined in pain but refused to relent. Gracie reached over and grabbed Bella by the hair, pulling her head back, ready to either slit her throat or—quite literally—bite her head off.

Bella snarled and stabbed her claws deep into Gracie's thigh. Gracie cried out in pain but wouldn't let go; instead, Bella jerked away, shrieking as a handful of hair was ripped from her head. Niki growled again and, impatient to finish the brunette off, lifted herself off the ground and whirled to face her enemy. Bella snatched her chance and, by the time Niki had turned fully around, was racing off over another ridge, weaving between boulders, Gracie in hot pursuit. Niki growled deep in her throat and took off after them, passing up Gracie and leaping toward Bella. Hurtling through the air, she smashed into Bella in mid-step and the vampire went down easily. Gracie caught up just as Niki was about to snap Bella's head off, but Bella turned her face and bit down on Niki's foot, hard. Niki threw her head back and howled in pain, while Bella scrambled out from under her. Bella reached for Niki's throat with her claws, but Gracie dove into her, knocking them both into another boulder. The two girls each hit their heads and were forced to sit for a moment, trying to gather their bearings. Niki, moving unevenly on three paws, came bounding out of the breaking darkness and swept her injured paw sideways into Bella, who went flying across the rocky terrain and slammed her head into the ground, leaving a dent in the dusty earth. Bloody slashes, made by Niki's claws, crossed her chest, but soon vanished. Gracie, having shaken off her stupor, was up and running toward the newborn vampire, but Niki got there first. Bella was already on her feet when Niki reached her. The sneering brunette made a wild leap and landed on Niki's face, scratching and clawing wildly at her eyes. Niki whined and shook her head, trying to throw Bella off, but it was Gracie who pulled the wild vampire away. Bella, dissatisfied with the minor cuts and furrows she had caused on Niki's face, turned her fury on Gracie. The redhead was a more difficult nut to crack, however, since her body, unlike Niki's, wasn't composed of soft, warm flesh anymore. It was easier to wound her with fangs than with claws, so Bella closed her teeth over Gracie's arm. Gracie yelped with pain and tried to pull Bella off, but that was impossible. Niki bent her head closer, took hold of Bella with her teeth, and ripped her off of Gracie. The Irish girl shrieked again as a lot of her skin was torn off as well. Niki tried not to look as she held her mangled arm, but to the sixteen-year-old's relief, Gracie's skin sealed up quickly.

Meanwhile, Bella twisted and slashed her claws across Niki's sensitive nose. Niki yelped like a true wolf and dropped her instantly. Bella tried to scramble away but Gracie caught her with one blood-slicked hand. Bella snarled and grabbed Gracie's hand, digging her claws into it. Gracie gritted her teeth and swung one foot hard into Bella's knees. Unfortunately the kick didn't have quite as much power as it probably should have, and it merely knocked Bella to the ground, pulling Gracie along since Bella's claws were still buried deep into Gracie's hand. Niki, still stumbling on three paws and now disoriented by agony in her face—caused by the slashing of her nose—and watering eyes, pranced over in a slightly unsteady way and leaned toward Bella. Taking advantage of her adversary's temporary confusion, Bella rolled quickly out of the way—forced to release Gracie's hand in the process—and stood facing the two, prepared for another strike.

Neither party was giving any ground, and they were in mostly the same position as they had been at the beginning of the fight—that is, not counting the wounds on both sides. Niki was now limping on only three paws, her fourth used only for support, and sported bloody furrows across her face and delicate nose. Gracie had been bitten on the thigh and scratched on the face and chest, and her arm would probably never be the same. Bella had been scratched, slashed, bitten, tossed, slammed, and thrown, and still looked ready to fight.

_We need to end this!_ Niki thought desperately. She glanced at Gracie and saw the same thought crossing her friend's face. They had to get this over and done. Now.

In unspoken agreement, the two girls moved cautiously to either side, circling around Bella in opposite directions. The hostile vampire eyed them contemptuously, tensed for an attack from any direction.

Gracie took a step toward Bella. Bella took a step back, nearer to Niki, then half a step forward again, to distance herself from the werewolf. Niki and Gracie were still circling. Circling, circling. This time Niki closed in a little. Bella's eyes narrowed, darting around, searching for an escape route. She was tensed to jump. When the moment came, she would leap through the gap between her two enemies. It was a feeble plan, but all she could do.

Suddenly, while Bella's eyes were locked onto Niki's blood-streaked snout, Gracie leapt at her from behind. She clamped herself onto the older girl's back and hung on as Bella whipped around. "Niki!" she cried.

Niki, understanding, lunged forward. She whined and hesitated, however, afraid of hurting Gracie.

"Now, dammit!" Gracie cried. Niki knew how scared and frustrated she must be, since as far as she had heard, Gracie _never_ cursed.

Gathering all her wits and bearings, Niki crouched low, growling softly, and locked onto Bella's head. She straightened her legs slowly, as though moving through molasses, the golden ring in her eyes expanding.

Gracie tightened her arms around Bella's throat, hanging on with everything she had. _Do it,_ she thought. _Come on, Niki, finish this!_

Niki lifted her head, staring deep into Bella's black-red eyes. As if in slow motion, Bella's eyes widened in realization. She knew what was coming. She knew it was the end for her.

Niki's maw opened.

_Do it, Niki! Do it now!_

_Snap__._

Gracie dropped her feet to the ground and allowed Bella's headless body to fall away from her. Blood dripped from her clothes, hands, and face, mixing with the tears of exhaustion leaking from her eyes. Niki's fur was blood-matted and the cuts on her face still trickled lightly. But they were alive. And Bella was not.

Glancing at Niki, Gracie chuckled wearily. "Do you know how to get back to human?"

Niki's eyes flickered her way and she shook her head. Then a ripple passed through her body and she began to shrink, her ebony fur sinking back into her skin. In a moment she was fully human, although the golden ring in her eyes remained.

The tiny girl glanced down at herself. "Huh. I'm still wearing clothes. When the other werewolves phase back, they're naked."

"They aren't Cherokee," Gracie commented, striding across to her friend. "Come on. We should find the others. Jacob's going to freak out when he sees those cuts on your face..."

Niki chuckled throatily. "I'm in better shape then _you_ are. You had half the skin ripped off of your left arm."

Gracie glanced at her left arm, a jagged network of scars showing where her skin had sealed up. "I'll be fine. It doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Yeah, but not to tell from all the blood all over you." Niki cursed suddenly. "The blood! Damn it all! We can't go back smelling like this!" She swore violently.

"The coven will be all over us," Gracie agreed. "We can't do that to them or to ourselves. We'll have to find somewhere to clean up."

"There aren't any streams around here. God damn it! What are we supposed to do?"

Gracie frowned thoughtfully. "Here's an idea. Why don't we skip meeting up with the others and head back to La Push now? They'll come looking for us when they finish off Nathan and Maria. When they find Bella, they'll know we won. They'll probably even track us back to La Push. We can meet them there."

Niki sighed. "You're right. We should do that. I just wish..." She gazed back toward the place where they had left the others and sighed, looking utterly forlorn. "I know I'm being impatient, but I want to see Jacob _now__._"

"I know how you feel," Gracie said softly. "I wish Edward was here..." She looked weary and frustrated. "We should start heading back now."

"Yeah." Niki began trudging in the direction of La Push. She giggled as a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Edward's going to murder me for letting you get so beat up."

"Not before Jacob kills me for letting you get those scratches all over your pretty face. And Paul—Paul will go ballistic when he sees your hand..."

"Jasper will chew me up and spit me out if he figures out what happened to your shoulder."

Gracie grinned tiredly at her friend. "Isn't it great to have people who care enough about you that they'd want to kill someone who got you hurt?"

"It's certainly a nice change of pace," Niki remarked. "But here's a thought—if Jake kills you and Edward kills me, won't they just have to kill each other?"

"Probably. But forget 'have to.' Jacob and Edward are always looking for excuses to have at each other..."

"I know." Niki shook her head with an exaggerated sigh. "We're really going to have to teach those two to get along."

"Definitely," Gracie agreed. "But with any luck, we have all the time in the world for that. Especially since you know how to phase now."

"Yup." Niki drew herself up proudly to her full five feet. "Now I can kick EVERYBODY'S ass in a fight!" She caught Gracie's look. "Except maybe yours."

"But I don't think I could beat you, either," the vampire commented. "We'd probably just fight and fight until we both collapsed of exhaustion."

"But I don't think we'll ever need to." Niki slung her arm around the other girl. "We fight too well together. We can just team up and kick everyone _else's_ asses."

"Exactly!" Gracie exclaimed. "World domination!"

"Finally... THE DARK SIDE WILL CONQUER!"

"But we'll leave Emily alone," Gracie reminded her. "So she can make us cookies."

"Right," said Niki, and laughed. Gracie joined her.

Supporting each other, they started the rocky journey back to La Push.


	9. Loose Ends

**Chapter Nine: Loose Ends**

Niki and Gracie were both cleaned up and wearing fresh clothes by the time the others reached Billy's house. This did not stop Edward and Jacob from instantly noting their wounds.

"Niki!" Jacob gasped, dropping both hands on the younger girl's shoulders and bending over to look at her cuts closely. "What happened?"

"_Bella_ happened," Niki grumbled. "Don't worry about me, Jake. I'm fine. As far as I can tell, there won't even be any scars, so I'm going to remain as sinfully gorgeous as always." She struck a pose, fluttering her eyelashes.

Jacob laughed and scooped her up, kissing her softly.

Edward pulled Gracie to him, tucking her head under his chin and trailing his lips over her hair. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

Gracie melted into him with a deep sigh. "I am now," she whispered.

Edward smiled and stroked her back, kissing her forehead. "How's your arm?"

"It's fine. Don't worry about it. I'm just happy to have you back." She laid her head against his chest. "Edward, will you marry me now?"

"Alice already has the whole wedding planned out. It's in just a couple of months."

"I don't know if I can hold out for a couple of months." She sounded so forlorn, he had to smile.

"I'll see what I can do. I'm sure it won't kill Alice if we move it up a few weeks."

Before Gracie could reply, Niki called out from Jacob's arms, "Hey, Edward?"

He glanced at her. "Yes?"

"You should be glad _Maria_ turned Bella instead of you." Mischief sparkled in her eyes.

His brow furrowed. "Why? I mean, besides the obvious."

Niki grinned. "Because she tasted horrible!"

"So that was _you?_" Quil demanded in awe. "I mean, you were the one who... we saw the body. Her head was missing."

"New meaning has been assigned to the phrase 'biting one's head off'," Jasper muttered.

"Hey, Edward's done it," Alice said defensively. "That was how he killed Victoria, remember?"

"Yeah, we saw that in Seth's memories," Jared added. "That was really disgusting. Her head went rolling and everything."

"Oh, ew!" Gracie yelled, clapping her hands over her ears. "Do we have to talk about it?!"

"Hey, _I_ had to _see_ it!" Leah informed her with a smirk.

"That doesn't mean you have to punish us, too!" Gracie retorted.

"Stop your complaining, you," Emmett told her, thumping her gently on the back of the head. "You helped Niki kill Bella."

"The 'biting Bella's head off' idea was actually Gracie's to begin with," Niki commented casually.

"I never told you to bite her head off. Still, better her than us," Gracie said calmly.

Edward chuckled and pulled her tight again. "That's my girl."

"Can we go home now?" she complained.

"Yes, we probably should." Carlisle glanced up at Sam. The two leaders shared a long, solemn look in which much was communicated.

At last, Sam smiled. "I wouldn't mind if you stayed for a bit longer. Just to recuperate, you understand."

Carlisle grinned. "Of course." He glanced at Niki. "And I want to take a look at those scratches. I doubt they're serious, but if we can prevent scarring, I think we'll all be very happy."

Emily walked into the room with a plateful of fresh, steaming bacon. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," she reminded them.

"Glad to see _someone_ around here has their priorities straight," Paul announced with a huge grin.

Everyone laughed.

After that, things settled down for all of the immortals. Jane, Alec, and Demetri returned to the Venturi in Italy, promising to visit again next time the apocalypse was threatened. Niki's cuts healed with very little scarring and left her face as smooth and beautiful as ever.

Edward and Gracie were soon married, with much splendor and ceremony, just the way Alice liked it. They composed a lot of music together that became famous soon after, although no one was quite sure where the songs had come from.

Jacob and Niki, after doing a bit of growing up, had two children—Paul Billy Black and Grace Emily Black. Niki resolved to be a good influence on her kids, and stopped sneaking out to get drunk or other such things. Edward and Gracie were the godfather and godmother of Paul and Grace, while the other Cullens were adopted aunts and uncles. The children considered Jacob's pack-mates to be their full-blooded aunts and uncles, as well they should.

Of course, neither the Cullens nor the Quileutes (and Cherokee) were the types to settle down, so they continued on to have many other adventures. But that's another story entirely.

Although I can't honestly say they all lived happily ever after, I can tell you that they were about as happy as a pack of vampire-friendly werewolves and a coven of vegetarian vampires can be in a world full of powerful enemies and unsuspecting humans. If you want more than that, well... you'll have to ask them yourselves.

If you do happen to ask, the probable reaction will be a smile and a calm, "What are you talking about? There's no such thing as vampires or werewolves. They're all myths."

And you'll be left to wonder.


End file.
